Revenge of a Saiyan Heart
by Adria
Summary: Heartbroken one time too many, Pan runs away only to find a warrior who knows Pan's existence is fatal to both timelines. To escape the hands of the enemy, she trains in the Mirai timeline, forced to give up her past and love. MT/P, a little T/M and G/B!
1. Of Broken Hearts and Tears

Author's Note:  
  
For those of you who are slightly squirmy about sadness and angst, I have to warn you there's a lot of it in here so please read it at your own risk! And no, I don't own DBZ or DBGT and sadly enough I don't own a lot of money either! Please read and review! (Easy on the flaming please...^_^)  
  
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Revenge of the Saiyan Heart - Chapter One  
  
Pan's lower lip trembled so violently that soon her whole entire body began to shake with anger and pure hatred.  
  
"You asshole Trunks! Don't you ever, EVER, tell me what love is supposed to feel like! I just poured out my heart to you and you can't just toss it away like a piece of garbage! I hate you! You're a heartless freak, I don't know what I ever saw in you BAKA!" She spat at him and her eyes acknowledged him with a fiery gaze.  
  
Dear Dende, five long years she spent pining for this guy. How could he accuse her of not knowing what love meant? She felt hot tears of bitter anger welling up in her eyes. Five years, about two thousand restless nights of self-conflict all wasted on him. She bit her lip as she felt her energy rise to an uncontrollable level.  
  
*No, you can't break down in front of this bastard,* she thought furiously to herself.   
  
Her saiyan pride had been roughly pushed aside to reveal her long locked secret. It pained her more deeply than words could ever describe for her to realize that he didn't feel the same way. Sharp pangs of hurt pierced through her heart as her fierce eyes stared right at his cold, emotionless ones. She took a deep breath and tried hard to maintain her sense of self, it was a real struggle for her not to lose it all and blast his head off.   
  
Hiding a glare, she said, "Well, I hope you have a nice time with Marron or what's her ass that you might play with after you're done with Marron. I'll get out of your way now, I guess it's for the best that you enjoy your little sluts while you're still old enough. Have a nice life Trunks Briefs."  
  
Her efforts to try to be calm were once again shattered like her heart had been when Trunks replied just as coolly, "I sure will Pan. You can count on it."   
  
He smirked slightly.  
  
Something snapped inside of Pan, like stepping on a dry twig. She let her anger wash over her and with it her ki level, which rose higher and higher and higher. She let loose all of her pain from inside her and released it. A golden aura flickered slightly and then blazed like a raging fire. Sparks of electricity began flowing around the barrier as her jet black hair turned golden and her chocolate brown eyes morphed into a striking jade green. Trunks, more frightened than amazed backed away slowly.   
  
Without another word, she took off into the morning air and was gone soon before he could blink. He was shocked, to put it plainly. Although Trunks knew she was powerful (being Goku's granddaughter and Gohan's daughter of course) but she was just a QUARTER saiya-jin. And she was a girl. No girl could ever turn Super Saiya-jin, that was unheard of. But there was no denying the fact; her energy level was incredibly powerful, even moreso than his own. Anyone within a ten mile radius could have picked it up easily.  
  
Goten and Bra came rushing out from Bulma's house. The surprised look on both their faces told Trunks that they had felt it too.  
  
"Who's was that? Your dad's ki or my brother's?" Goten asked Trunks breathlessly while looking around.  
  
Trunks shook his head no, still dazed.  
  
"Well, who else could it have been? No one except for Dad or Gohan has that kind of ki!" Bra exclaimed. "Was that you...?"  
  
Trunks shook his head again and said softly, "It...it...was....Pan..."  
  
Bra and Goten looked at Trunks incredulously.  
  
"PAN?!?!?"  
  
************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, Vegeta was out near Mt. Paozu training. He hadn't had a good spar with anyone since "Kakarot" had left after his occasional visits to Earth. Growling, he punched a large oak tree and cracked it in half. Before he could further annihilate the poor tree, he caught wind of a very, VERY powerful ki approaching at an amazing speed. As soon as he had felt it, it was gone. He took off after it, curious.  
  
*Strange, I haven't felt an energy this immense since my last battle with Kakarot,* the saiyan prince thought to himself. *Hmph, maybe there still is a worthy opponent left on this pathetic, weak planet. But who?*  
  
He too, powered up and chased after the possessor of the energy. He had been waiting far too long for a good spar and wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Pan raced through the sky, letting the adrenaline work its way throughout her body. She had done it. She based her whole, entire life to show, no, to PROVE to everybody that she was indeed as good as Goten or her father Gohan or even...Trunks. She gritted her teeth at the thought of her "friend." Even if she was a tomboyish sort of girl, she still was who she was and needless to say, she was DAMN proud of it.  
  
*It's not like sparring is going to change my gender anytime soon,* she thought bitterly.  
  
She knew she had achieved Super Saiya-jin Two, and even through her tears and broken heart, she was proud of herself. She couldn't wait to head home and show her Dad.   
  
*He would be so proud of me!* she thought somewhat excitedly.  
  
Then she slowed down considerably. She couldn't go home and face that BAKA, Trunks. No, her pride wouldn't let her do that again. She was not, she promised herself, she was NOT going to brawling back and lose her face again. Or rather what was left of it. Especially after what he had said to her...  
  
Despite herself, tears came flowing down again and she couldn't stop herself from reliving in her mind the hurtful things he had said to her.  
  
{FLASHBACK}  
  
"I...I...I...love...you TRUNKS!" she finally sputtered out. She quivered and dared to look up at Trunks to see his reaction. She lifted her head slightly to see that Trunks had a mixture of shock and horror mixed on his face. Not exactly what she was expecting.  
  
"NANI?!? Wha..?? Pan...!" His eyes grew round. "I never, ever thought of you that way. I thought we were like brothers, you know..."  
  
Pan gave him a defiant glance. Her pride had taken over her again and she willingly succumbed to its control.  
  
"DO I LOOK LIKE A BOY TO YOU? JUST BECAUSE I LIKE TO FIGHT AND THE FACT THAT I CAN'T STAND SHOPPING MALLS AUTOMATICALLY MAKES ME GROW A DICK?" she retorted, gravely insulted by his words.  
  
She desperately wanted to slap Trunks in the face but held back and restrained herself.   
  
"I...am NOT your brother, you idiot!" she yelled.  
  
Trunks leaned casually against the wall outside his house, arms and legs crossed. He could be stubborn too.  
  
"PAN!" he said, exasperated. "Don't take things the wrong way. You KNOW what I mean! Besides, you know I'm dating Marron because she asked me out! Besides, the idea of you and me is just too weird! It could never happen. Aside from the obvious fact that I am way older than you by ten years...For Kami's sake, I babysat you! It's not right. You're only seventeen and I'm twenty-seven! We couldn't ever date and you're way too little to know what love is like anyway."  
  
{END FLASHBACK}  
  
The tears stung her eyes. How she loathed the words.  
  
*Too little...I'm too little for everything. It's not fair at all! Why can't anyone accept that fact that I'm not seven years old anymore? I hate it!*   
  
She furrowed her brow and sighed with a resigned tone in her throat.   
  
*Dignity* she told herself. *At the very, very least, keep your DIGNITY Pan!!*  
  
Feeling a bit calmer, she flew off again, not paying attention to where she was going.  
  
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Vegeta had to turn Super Saiyan just to keep up with the powerful ki. It was Pan's of course, but he didn't know it. It seemed to take forever to keep up, but after awhile of chasing, he spotted a flash of gold flying at top speed about two miles ahead of him. In a spurt of adrenaline, he cut in front of the stranger.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked roughly and narrowed his eyes.   
  
*Something is familiar about this saiyan,* he thought.   
  
Then taking a double take, he realized to his (horror? surprise? Pan couldn't tell.) that the saiyan wasn't a male, it was a SHE.  
  
"It's me, Vegeta-san," Pan whispered softly. "It's me, Pan..."  
  
"BRAT?!?!? Gohan's daughter?" he said dubiously.   
  
*Hmm, so it is. Heh, maybe she does have some real genuine saiyan blood in her after all.* Vegeta thought.  
  
"Hmmph, I thought I had a REAL challenge," he said.   
  
He observed Pan with scrutiny. She was still in SSJ2, still trembling from her anger and the soreness of the impact of the strain on her muscles. His hard face softened just the tiniest bit as he noticed her solemn, determined face to her flaming orange bandanna. She wore it proudly and never seemed to care what everyone else thought of it. As a matter of fact, she never seemed to let what everybody else thought affect her.  
  
*Mmm...more like a real saiyan than her own father,* he thought. *What a pity...*   
  
But of course, Vegeta wasn't going to waste his precious training time trying to catch up with Pan without getting what he wanted.   
  
"Brat? How would you like to spar with me? I haven't gotten a good, decent spar in years," he said. "I think you may be worthy enough."  
  
Pan's eyes widened. She always wanted a good spar ever since Goku left and ever since Goten had acquired an interest in girls.   
  
"I would be greatly honored, Vegeta-san," she replied, lowering into a fighting stance.  
  
Vegeta did the same as he told her sternly, "Good. Let's start now. Show me what you got."  
  
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"What do you mean? I don't believe you, Trunks!" Bra shouted.   
  
Even though Trunks was her older brother, the thought of her best friend being heartbroken surged through her mind like wildfire. Countless nights Pan had helped her get over boyfriend after boyfriend after boyfriend. It shamed her that she couldn't return the favor when Pan needed it the most. Unable to control her temper, she gave Trunks a hard slap on his cheek.   
  
"How DARE YOU break her heart like that? Don't you have any feelings?" she yelled.  
  
Bra stormed away angrily, leaving a frustrated Trunks alone to deal with an angered Goten. Goten glared at his best friend, but to Trunks' surprise, he didn't yell at him. He turned away and started following the sobbing Bra into the house. Putting his hands on her shaking shoulders, he tried to comfort her. Bra turned around with tears streaming down her face, ruining her heavily applied makeup.  
  
"Oh Goten! I feel so ashamed. All this time Pan and I have been friends and I never even cared at all about her love life! I'm such an idiot, I didn't even notice. She was always there for me when one of my old boyfriends dumped me and I took it all for granted! I'm so selfish, all I cared about was me. It didn't even occur to me that Pan has feelings like any other normal girl too. It's all my fault! I should have noticed, maybe she wouldn't have hurt so much!"   
  
She buried herself in Goten's arms. Smudging his shirt with mascara, she pulled back apologetically.  
  
"Sorry about that," she whimpered. He smiled weakly.  
  
"Don't put all that blame on you Bra, it's not all your fault. I'm at least half responsible for some of that blame too. I should've noticed, I'm her uncle! It hurts to think about it, I mean, I know how it feels to be rejected, to love someone you can't," Goten said softly. *Shit!* he thought. *Wasn't that a little obvious?*  
  
*What did he say? Wait. He's not talking about me though. Forget it Bra!* Bra scolded herself, but didn't squirm out of the embrace.  
  
He continued holding her as he shed a single tear. He turned around again, but Trunks was gone.  
  
"Shh...it's okay," he whispered, resting her chin on the top of his head.  
  
He tried to console her, but he himself couldn't say or think of anything that would be of any help. As much as Goten hated to admit it, the whole gang had sort of distanced themselves from Pan. It wasn't a surprise that they hadn't noticed any chemistry between the two. No one had truly understood her besides for Goku, but he was gone now. Goten's heart ached with Bra's as they both stood there, thinking that their Pan was off somewhere, suffering the pain alone.  
  
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Pan skillfully launched a series of punches and kicks, most of which were blocked by Vegeta, but not without some effort. She aimed for his neck and his knees. Vegeta landed a punch on Pan's shoulder, but the punch was avenged with a well-placed kick on the side of his rib cage. Faking a roundhouse kick to the chest, she instead whirled around behind him. Vegeta fell for it and blocked it, but to no avail, as he was hit by a hard punch on his right jaw. Enraged, he too went SSJ2. Soon the two were working up massive amounts of energy. Vegeta was taken aback by the skills and abilities of the strong, stubborn girl in front of him. They were as advanced as his own, and if she was holding back, she was even stronger than he was!  
  
Curious, but careful not to reveal it, he stopped in midair. Pan stopped too, but still held her fighting stance.  
  
"Brat? We can stop now, I've seen enough."  
  
Pan slowly relaxed from her position and took advantage of the moment to catch her breath. Pleased with the fact that she had given Vegeta a good workout, she powered down a bit.  
  
"Where did you lean those moves? You've improved a lot since I last saw you train with that idiot uncle of yours, Goten!" he asked gruffly. *What has made her so powerful in such a short amount of time?* he wondered greatly.  
  
A troubled look clouded over Pan's eyes as she turned her face away. Goten had stopped their regular training sessions to go out with Paris and various other girls years ago. Sparring sessions were broken last minute and she was often stood up. He forgot about Pan, and for some strange reason it never came up again. Vegeta noticed this look on her face and encouraged her to go on.  
  
Pan spoke hesitantly. "Vegeta-san, it really is a long story and I don't want to take up too much of your precious training time..."  
  
"Yes, go on. Spit it out and get it over with," Vegeta persisted rather roughly.   
  
He motioned for her to fly down and then Pan began to explain the root of her power, letting go of every pent-up bottled emotion that had built up inside of her for so long.  
  
"After my grandfather Goku went back, Goten trained with me everyday till I was fourteen years old," Pan explained. "But after awhile, we stopped training and sparring together because he started dating other girls more often and soon our sessions were few and far between. Bra and Marron don't fight that much, they're way too busy shopping and dating anyway. Mom and Dad are really busy at work, I don't see them too often, much less spar with them. I felt so alone because I didn't fit in, and there was no one to spar with."  
  
Vegeta reacted to this small piece of information by flinching a bit with eyes that understood, but Pan didn't notice. She continued with a stronger voice.  
  
"I really did feel friendless for awhile, so I started to train myself. I'd often sneak away at times when I was sure no one would notice me and I'd just fly away and just train myself really hard. I've been doing this for almost four years now. I didn't think anybody would think it suspicious and I was right, they never did. Actually, I don't think they ever really cared. I trained painfully and vigorously so I could feel better about myself. It was one of those rare times that I didn't feel so lonely and it was a time that I didn't feel like utter crap and it became a habit after while. I couldn't stop myself from wanting to be special. Maybe I'm not as pretty as Bra or Marron, or as smart as my father, so I at least tried to improve the part that I was proud of to show everybody that even a girl like me could fight as well as any boy and if I was lucky, maybe even better."   
  
Pan had never admitted this to anybody, but she figured Vegeta would keep it a secret, for she thought he might feel that same way. Now that Trunks was officially out of her life as a friend, she couldn't count on anybody anymore.  
  
Vegeta raised his eyebrows. *This girl of Gohan's has got more saiyan potential than I've ever seen, even in my own son,* he thought to himself.  
  
"I understand, Pan," he said quietly.   
  
Pan looked up, a bit surprised. No one had ever truly understood her in a long, long time. It was almost too good to be true. She smiled a small grin, but it was genuine, something she hadn't feel her face show for far too long.  
  
"Thanks for hearing me out Vegeta-san, I feel much better," she told him gratefully. *At last...someone who understands,* she thought, relieved a bit.  
  
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Later that afternoon, people began to gather at Bulma's house for a celebration lunch. Bulma had invited Pan, Goten, and Marron's family along with her own family. Everyone was there, it was supposed to be a wonderful feast to celebrate Pan's seventeenth birthday. Actually, in other words, everyone was there except for Vegeta and Pan. However, instead of the usual chaos and hearty gossip, the whole room was quiet.  
  
"Where is that damn Vegeta?!? I'll pulverize him," Bulma threatened furiously. She had worked too hard for this...  
  
*If and WHEN he comes back, he is SO not getting off the hook!* she thought.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Back near Mt. Paozu, Pan was still sparring with Vegeta. When she turned her head towards the hillside, she noticed the sun directly shining down on them. It was noon.  
  
"Oh, Dende, I totally forgot! There's a big picnic lunch this afternoon..." Pan groaned. The last place she wanted to be was wherever Trunks was. Trunks, as a matter of fact, was the last thing she wanted to see. "I really don't wanna go, Vegeta...do you think you could make up an excuse for me while I stay out here and train some more?"  
  
Vegeta grunted in his reply. He hated group get-togethers, but simply for the sake of Bulma and Bra, who knowingly had the poor saiyan prince wrapped around their fingers, he attended them anyway. Vegeta wiped his sweat with his arm and straightened up. Turning to leave, he told Pan, "Don't worry Pan, I'll take care of it." He left.  
  
Pan wondered greatly as she stopped her assault on the air around her. Since when did Vegeta stop calling her Brat?  
  
************************************************************  
  
As Vegeta flew back towards the Capsule Corp, he began to think to himself.  
  
*Can't blame Pan for wanting to get away from everyone around here. Stupid humans, stupid fools, and stupid emotions and most of all, the way humans make the concept of 'love' seem so small and stupid. Stupid...stupid...stupid...Hmph, now that I think about it, I have noticed Pan has stopped coming over for awhile now. It's been ages since her last sleepover with Bra.*  
  
Smirking to himself in his usual trademark, but somewhat softer and more sympathetic he said gently as he could, "Smart girl, that Pan, that granddaughter of Kakarot. Smart girl." He could probably never admit that he was slightly soft to Pan to anyone but himself however, so he snapped back to his usual trademark frown when he approached his home. Hiding his emotions was something he was good at, something that he was able to do since he was a young boy. However, he could see through everyone else's mask, but Pan's mask had slipped gingerly past him. Still deep in thought, he crashed through the door.   
  
"Stupid human inventions," he grumbled, brushing himself off.  
  
Everyone stared at him while he entered the room, seeming indifferent and oblivious to the fact that everyone's eyes were glued to him.  
  
"Vegeta, just WHERE have YOU been?" Bulma demanded sharply. "Why don't you ever use doors properly? And where's Pan?"  
  
"I was training. Pan told me to inform you that she wasn't feeling very well and that she won't be attending," he replied simply. Then he added, "GODDAMN THE DOORS!"  
  
Bulma started to say something but a look in Vegeta's eyes told her not to question the situation further.  
  
"But she was perfectly FINE this morning," Marron said. "How?"  
  
Wordlessly, Goten and Bra glanced sideways at Trunks discreetly in unison. Only Vegeta noticed this however, as everyone else picked up their forks.  
  
"Come to think of it actually, I haven't seen Pan in awhile..." Marron noted. "What's up with that? I thought she spent half her life here!"  
  
"Probably training her ass off," Krillin replied, rolling his eyes humorously. "That girl thinks sparring is her life. She's pretty good though, I must admit."   
  
Turning to Goten, 18 said, "You and your dad trained her well, she may become as strong as you one day."  
  
Goten said nothing.   
  
Vegeta snorted loudly at this. Following this, the rest of the meal was as quiet as a graveyard on Sunday.  
  
*Fools, all of them are damned fools,* he thought. *Goten? Training Pan? He wouldn't last twenty seconds just sparring with her now. Damn ignorant humans.*  
  
Bulma turned to Goten, who for once wasn't stuffing his face with food. He was, ladies and gentleman, picking and pushing it around.  
  
(Author's Note: I know, I know what you're thinking. Goten wouldn't give up food for anything! Yeah, but so what? This is my story so PBBBT!)  
  
"Goten, why aren't you eating? You haven't touched a thing on your plate!" She rushed over like the over-protective mother-clucking hen she was and felt his forehead.  
  
Now normally, Goten would've rolled his eyes good-naturedly but he sat silent as a stone. Noticing this, Bulma slammed her hands on the table in a frustrated manner and abruptly stood up.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" she asked angrily. "Listen up! I spent way too much time and energy into making this party stocked with food and Pan's not even here and this is HER party. The mood is terrible, and no one, NOT EVEN GOTEN, is touching their food. Is there something going on that I don't know about?"  
  
Silence. No one dare speak a word. It was one of those moments that you could her a small, single staple drop from twenty meters up and still here it crystal clearly.  
  
She swiveled so she faced the emotionless Vegeta.   
  
"Vegeta, I feel that you're hiding something. What's the REAL reason Pan can't come, HMMM?? Saiya-jins just don't get sick and Pan never lets a stupid stomach ache let her down! What is it here that I don't know about? Someone better tell me NOW! Or else I guess I'll have to force out of you!"   
  
Bra spoke up and cocked her head towards Trunks.  
  
"If you really want to know, you might want to start by asking TRUNKS here," she said icily. She left the table and excused herself.  
  
Every head swiveled in Trunks' direction.  
  
Embarrassed as hell, Trunks yelled indignantly, "I didn't do anything! Stop blaming all this crap on me!"  
  
Goten sprang up from his chair and was about to leave after Bra but he were halted by a furious Bulma. Needless to say, he stopped dead in his tracks. An angry Bulma on the loose is something everyone there wanted to avoid. At all costs.  
  
"What did Trunks to do Pan?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Oh, nothing much, just broke my poor niece's feelings, that's all," Goten replied sarcastically, shooting a dirty glance at Trunks. Sure, Trunks was his best friend and everything, but Pan was his niece. He couldn't believe it. He knew about Trunks' infamous reputation concerning girls and he didn't want his niece to become a victim of it like so many others before her had.  
  
"I didn't mean to, I didn't do it on purpose," Trunks retorted. "And that's coming from an uncle who ditched his niece, who he CLAIMS to love so much, just to go out with other girls, like PARIS!" He narrowed his eyes and returned Goten's glare.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Goten seethed.   
  
"You think I'm the only one who hurt Pan? Well, have you forgotten about all those times you broke your sparring dates just to go around chasing girls with that cell phone of yours? You loved your cell phone more than your own niece!" Trunks said, hands crossed on his chest.  
  
Goten said nothing, but his fists were clenched. His ki raised slightly.  
  
"That's right Goten! Pan told me herself, about how you always came home talking about some girls you met or calling some girl you met and how you always forgot that you stood her up! She called me up CRYING! I hadn't seen Pan cry since then! And who made her cry? Oh yeah, I remember. It was her own uncle!" Trunks pressed on.   
  
"SHUT UP YOU BAKA!" Goten said furiously. His ki was peaked to reach SSJ just then, but Bulma intervened by placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him back.   
  
The two boys had lowered themselves subconsciously into a fighting position, totally unaware of the fact that Krillin, 18 and Marron were staring at them, feeling uncomfortable with the tension that was building up rapidly.  
  
Vegeta looked at Goten to Trunks, and then Trunks to Goten, who were still bickering.  
  
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" he hollered.   
x   
(Author's Note: Good old Vegeta...heeheehee, you gotta love him!)  
  
************************************************************  
  
Pan punched the air mercilessly. She had been training for five hours straight and was still going. It was getting just a little bit late, but she wasn't going to stop. Bead of sweat fell like heavy raindrops as she continued to push herself.   
  
*That's it Pan, release all that pressure and blame the whole world,* she thought, throwing a series of punches in the air. She liked to pretend she was actually sparring with someone and imagined someone there. It was easier to vent her anger out that way. This time, she pictured Trunks, so she hit the air at least ten times harder.  
  
She was still in SSJ2 mode, and was still furious at what Trunks had done to her. Not so sad anymore though, but still angry and highly distressed. The rejection was so painful, it felt like part of her soul had died and Pan knew this. It was like taking the sting of an injection needle, but feeling the numbness afterwards. The only way she thought she could get temporarily forget the numbness was to train, train, train.  
  
She looked at the sky. The sun was almost gone, only a small dot on the horizon. It was probably about seven or eight o'clock.   
  
*The dinner must have been over by now,* she figured. *Besides, maybe I can ask Vegeta if I could use the gravity room tonight. Best of all though, I won't have to see Trunks. He's probably making out with Marron at the movies or something.*  
  
Her last thought sent small shivers of a mix of feelings. Jealousy, for one. Then sadness, then anger, then she sighed and shrugged. She stopped her training and flew over to Bulma's, strategically hiding her ki to avoid confrontation.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Vegeta sneered at everyone. It was getting quite late, but everyone was now sitting in the living room at their house. Bra had returned, and was sitting between Marron, who sat next to her parents, and Goten. Bulma was next to Vegeta. Trunks had distanced himself from all of them by leaning against a wall, arms crossed, with a frown almost identical to his father's. Everyone was waiting for Vegeta to say something.  
  
"If all of you want to know where Pan's been keeping herself so badly, then why don't you stop talking about it and just ask her?" he growled.  
  
Just then, as if right on cue, Pan herself walked in.  
  
"Hey Vegeta-san, can I use the gravity roo..." she cut herself off. Everyone's eyes were staring at her. *Shit, everybody's till here!* She silently cursed herself for not being more aware of everyone's ki.  
  
She backed away slowly as everyone noticed that she didn't have her raven tresses or her coffee brown eyes. Yes, she hadn't dropped out of SSJ2 yet.  
  
Bulma's eyes were widened so much that her eyes practically bulged out. Trunks was unmoved by this. Goten and Bra had identical dumbstruck faces. Krillin and 18 were blinking in disbelief and amazement, as Marron said, "Oh my gosh...dear Dende!!"  
  
"She's reached SSJ2, that's right!" Vegeta scowled. "Maybe if you'd pay some attention you would have known a lot earlier."  
  
Pan was overwhelmed by all this as her knees suddenly felt weak. The eyes that stared her were boring holes in her. She couldn't bear to look at Trunks so she avoided his glance by turning her back to him.   
  
Bra and Marron got up and scurried over to Pan, asking, "Pan, honey, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, I'm okay!" she lied. Powering down dramatically she fibbed. "I, uh, just wanted to know if I could borrow some headache pills or something, um, cause I have a headache but I see you're all busy and stuff so, um, I'll just, like, leave now." Putting on a fake, practiced grin she turned towards the door to leave. She couldn't even look at Trunks for fear she might break down in tears right then and there.  
  
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Goten blocked the door. "Tell us what's really going on with you, where have you been? We're all worried sick about you!"  
  
*Right, they're worried sick. They worry about me just like they worry about dog shit on their carpet.* Pan thought bitterly. *Fuck, I don't have to stand around listening to this crap.*  
  
"If you'd really care about me, you'll LET...ME...GO!!!" Pan let her temper rise and with it her ki. She had held back everything for almost four years. She wanted to let it out, give them a taste of what had been killing her. *That'll show them!* she thought.  
  
"I'm not a little baby and I'm tired of being treated like SHIT, that's what's wrong!" Pan turned coldly to face everyone in the room.   
  
She yelled, "If any of you care about me like you say you do, then how come you treat me like SHIT? I'm sick, and I'm tired of being bruised and beaten while all of you guys go out there and have your fun and then come back and shove it all in my face! At least you could have TOLD me, maybe I would've dealt with it better, but to just plain forget me? That's caring? Yeah, I'm sure you guys really care for me, that's why none of you have cared about where or more importantly HOW I've been for the past four years? Where do you think I go after-school? What do you think I do when Goten goes out with girls? How do you think I feel when my two so-called best friends Bra and Marron go out shopping and ditch me? How do you think I feel when the only person who really understands me is dead? What would you do? What would you do when you've kept everything bottled up and hidden for FOUR years! What would you do when you find yourself alone at school, alone at home, and alone everywhere you go, because the people you call your friends are somewhere else and don't even give you a phone call? Don't any of you get it? This isn't friendship!"   
  
Trunks choked by these powerful worlds. 18 and Krillin were stupefied. Tears streamed down her face while she said this last thought.  
  
Bra and Marron took a couple steps toward Pan, but a serious look in her eyes told them that they would be fried to the ends of the Earth if they took just ONE more baby step. No one had ever seen Pan like this. Her face was angry but strangely enough it was also entwined with traces of hurt and confusion. Her eyes were like the source of a river of tears.  
  
She shook with resentment to everyone, but she wasn't quite done with her verbal assault payback yet.  
  
"What is friendship? Is friendship all about ditching other friends, then calling the ditched friend up the next day about how fun it was? If any of you are my REAL friends, then I have to honestly say I'd rather have frickin' enemies!"   
  
"Pan!" Bra screamed, putting her hands over her ears. "Stop it! Stop it!"  
  
"Stop what Bra? Do you know how many times I wanted to yell that at you when you call me up and account the details of your dates?" she said coldly. "Did you care what I thought? Obviously not. Now, neither do I."  
  
Bra just gaped at Pan, scared. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined Pan like this, she was always the happy and cheerful one and the one that seemed to find the good in everything. The light in the dark, the soft in the hard. What had gone wrong between their best friendship?  
  
Vegeta was astonished at his daughter's reaction to those words. He didn't notice that Pan had so much power and emotion stored from four years of ignorance over his own children and even her uncle. Even he had underestimated her. Pan was exactly acting like a saiya-jin would. And everyone in that room was moved by her stinging words.   
  
*Even the woman, for once, is at a loss for words,* Vegeta smirked inwardly.   
  
Pan flared in SSJ2 again and shoved Goten out of the way quite roughly. Before she took off however, she had one more thing to say.  
  
"And considering everything," Pan continued. "I've never had a friend among you guys in my whole entire FUCKING life!"  
  
And she took off into the star-dotted night, leaving a crowd of people just staring.   
  
************************************************************  
  
Two days passed, but there was no sign of Pan anywhere. Despite efforts, no one could find her at all. It seemed that without her, the days seemed to just crawl by. Nothing was fun anymore, it was like committing a sin to have fun without Pan. Marron, Trunks, Goten and Bra had been deeply touched by Pan's words the other day. None of those four said it out loud, but they all silently vowed not to take her cheery personality for granted again if she came back. IF...being the operative word of course.  
  
Bra sobbed uncontrollably, secretly hating herself for the way she had acted. Goten had felt so ashamed that his appetite seemed permanently lost. Marrot hurted inside too, because she and Pan were so close and she often even forgot Pan even existed. No one hurted as much as Trunks however. Pan was one of his best friends, even though he didn't feel about her in a romantic, more-than-friends sort of way.  
  
Everyone, more or less, was deeply affected by all this. Gohan and Videl were desperate and devastated, to say the least. They, along with Chi Chi, hadn't been filled in on the events that happened that previous evening. Bulma, who was always like a second mother to Pan, called Krillin's family, the Son family, and her own family to a meeting. Now they were all sitting in a circle at her house, saddened and depressed by Pan's sudden disappearance.  
  
"Obviously, she doesn't want to be found. She probably is hiding her ki or using an energy shield," Bulma said, as she knitted her eyebrows in frustration.   
  
Videl was wringing her hands. "What's happening to my poor baby? She's out there all alone, why is she doing this to us? Why won't she come home?" She sobbed on Gohan's shoulder, who was trying hard himself not to break down.  
  
Chi Chi was just as hysterical. "She's missing school! She's going to fall behind in her class! She's just like her grandfather, leaving and going away without notice!" She kept on babbling about between sniffs and bawls.  
  
"Calm down everybody, this isn't helping!" Krillin said, trying to lighten the moment.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISTER? MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS OUT THERE, WHO KNOWS WHAT THE HELL SHE'S DOING? AND WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?" Chi Chi pounced on Krillin and started to throw a hissy fit.   
  
"Eh...heh...heh..." Krillin stuttered as he backed away from her menacing glare.  
  
The rest of the afternoon was silent.   
  
************************************************************  
  
to be continued...  
  
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed part one! It's my first fanfic *ever* and I really really want to know what you think of my writing. Pardon if there are any spelling errors! Please review this fic and tell me so I can make it better and I'll try and update as often as I can. 


	2. The Awakening of a Deadly Prophecy

Author's Note:  
  
Oh my gosh I can't believe it! I've gotten a good amount of reviews and I'm really glad that most of you like the story so far (and it was only the first chapter...eh heh) Thanks for the wonderful feedback! Saiyan Serpent, Tom, Pan2k, etc. Hugs and Kisses to all of you! I really appreciate it ^_^ I feel so loved...  
  
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Revenge of the Saiyan Heart - Chapter Two  
  
Pan sighed at herself in utter disgust, slinging a small pack of capsules on her right shoulder. She had flown for two days straight across space and realized that she hadn't even left her galaxy yet.  
  
*You ARE pathetic Pan! First you go and just blurt to him that you love him and then you blow up in front of everyone. Okay, maybe they DID hurt you but you didn't have to actually tell them. Good job Pan, you big crybaby, what do you think Vegeta thinks of you now? Weak minded and stupid. And you weren't supposed to reveal your power! Duh! There goes your pride. Ha!* she cursed at herself for being too self-impulsive. *And plus, you're going nowhere...you're just wasting energy.*  
  
*Where am I supposed to go?* she wondered. That thought hadn't occurred to her until just now. Yes, she was running away because she couldn't bear staying on Earth anymore but where could she go?  
  
*Not like I fit in with anybody. Maybe I can find a new race of people and they can make me their queen! Right, wishful thinking. Hmm...I'm hungry, I better land soon, but there's nothing in sight. Can't eat in space...Hey what's that?*  
  
She spotted a small planet a couple of hundred miles ahead of her. It was only a speck however.  
  
*Well, might as well land and get a small rest, maybe I'll train there for awhile. Who knows, maybe there are actually people living there...This is really strange though, I don't remember seeing a planet here on my star charts and my space adventure with Grandpa Goku...Hmm and it usually takes millions of years for planets to form. Unless of course, it has crossed through time, no that can't be possible at all! Entire planets do not cross over timelines. Only people can. I mean, only if they had a time machine...Oh well, I just didn't notice it. Yeah, that's probably it.*  
  
She landed lightly on the surface. The planet was much like Earth, but the sky and atmostphere were different. And it was empty and desolate. Cold.  
  
Pan shivered slightly as a small gust of wind blew some dust around her. It was the perfect training grounds.   
  
"I knew space travel would be a good idea," she said to herself. Tossing her pack roughly on the ground, she began to power up. She could now go into SSJ2 almost effortlessly now. The satisfaction of this made her forget her troubles. She knew it wasn't the right thing to do, letting her fighting skills hide her emotional turmoil...  
  
"Control your power and control your pride. It can make you do foolish things. Because, Panny-chan, they might be triggered unexpectedly and you wouldn't be able to control your power then. You might do something you'll regret later," she remembered Goku's words of wisdom.   
  
"Control your power and control your pride. It can make you do foolish things," she repeated slowly. She face scrunched up in sadness as she remembered her childish, loving Grandpa.  
  
Pride. Something she held close to her, the thing that helped her carry on for four years. She was proud of herself, proud of her saiya-jin side, even though she was only a quarter. She was proud that she was a girl, and maybe even a tomboyish one at that. She never knew it would affect her. Day by day she had watched her pride stripped and torn, but from it she became stronger.   
  
Her friends always said that her pride would be her downfall.  
  
"Or is it? What the hell do they know, they haven't got one ounce of pride to spar against me, much less win," she said icily. "Who needs friends anyway? I'm alone, I'm a loner. I don't NEED to belong anywhere."  
  
She punched a large boulder. It disintegrated at her feet. Sparring always had healed her troubles, even if only momentarily.   
  
"So, who's my next opponent?" she joked aloud to five other boulders around her, smashing two with her hands, two with her legs and one with a swirling smash with her head. She dusted her hands and smiled triumphantly at the pile of granulated rock at her feet.  
  
"Quite an impressive show, Pan. But then again, saiya-jins always are surprises aren't they?" a voice spoke up.  
  
Pan was instantly on her guard, her ki flaring and she surveyed the area around her. She couldn't detect any sign of a ki though, but she felt the hairs on her neck stand up.  
  
*Maybe I'm starting to hear voices...* she thought. *This gravity up here must be doing something to my head.*  
  
"Up here..." the voice taunted again, although not unkindly.  
  
She looked up.  
  
A young woman, perhaps ten or so years older than her was dressed in a traditional fighting gi much like her father Gohan's but with a green design. Her cape was a dark velvety black but what caught Pan's eyes first was the woman's eyes, framed with long wavy locks of chestnut brown hair. Piercing eyes of the deepest jade green. Eyes that could see into her very soul, eyes that could observe any movement.   
  
Pan narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" she growled, lowering into a fighting stance.  
  
The woman laughed slightly and landed in front of her.   
  
"Oh, I know all about you Son Pan. I mean no harm to you whatsoever, do not worry. Relax, please." She paused. "But perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Jikuya Megami. This is my first name. You may call me simply Megami if you wish." She stuck out her hand amiably.  
  
Pan hesitated.   
  
*Don't trust strangers. For all you know she's probably going to flip you and then kill you. I wish I could sense her energy level but she doesn't have one. Either that, or she's HIDING it. Hiding very well...* she reminded herself.  
  
Megami laughed. "Pan, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. And yes, I can hide my ki, that's what you were wondering. You get pretty good at it if you have trained yourself to do so for two years."  
  
Pan gasped. "You mean, you can hear my thoughts?"  
  
Megami nodded. "You really ought to learn how to shield your thoughts. But then again, you have done a rather nice job of shielding your emotions from others, although it was a crude process which involves a great deal of self-inflicted pain..."  
  
"What do you know about me? Are you some sort of a stalker or something? And how is it that you know so much about me, and my name?" Pan asked. Something about this woman made her strangely calm. She didn't want to, but she relaxed totally from her position and stood there.  
  
"One at a time Pan. First of all, I know just about everything there is to know about you. You might say that I have been RESEARCHING you, stalking is a harsh word. I have been looking for you for a decade. Listen Pan, this may come as a surprise to you, but you are in grave danger, do you know that?" Megami said, her friendly expression hardened for a minute.  
  
Pan shook her head no.   
  
"You must listen to me Son Pan. What I'm about to tell you may be hard to digest all at once but it is imperative that you believe me, or I'm afraid it will be too late. Do you understand?" Without waiting for a response, she continued.  
  
"I am the last direct descendant from a dying race of female saiya-jin warriors. Yes, I know what you are thinking; there are none left of the original saiya-jin race, let alone women. Well, I'm afraid this fact is not true. Before Vegeta-sei was destroyed, there was an elite band of women trained in the skills of fighting and they were just as good as the men that escaped. They weren't strong enough to retaliate so we had nothing left to do but to bide our time by training. We thought we had hid ourselves well, but *they* found us out. THEY killed all of the remaining female saiya-jins and I escaped only by a slim thread...to find you Pan."   
  
"Why me? And who's they?" Pan asked. She was incredibly confused.  
  
"THEY are a band of rogue rebels, called the Isagi-jin. Originally descendants of the Saiyan population, they had political problems with the government and broke away thousands of years ago. They began to resist the power. Their sole purpose is to destroy the saiya-jin...why? We don't know for sure exactly...Pan, have you ever wondered about the descendent of your grandmother from your mother's side? Videl Satan's mother, I have reason to believe, is of Isagi-jin descent. That's why she faked her own death and disappeared. Videl is half human, so Isagi type abilities cannot be awakened in her. Human cells cancel out the cells of the Isagi. The genetical code do not compliment each other. Which is why they want you, Pan. You have the potential to be THE strongest warrior in the world, even stronger than your father or your grandfather because of your mix of Saiyan, Isagi and human blood. The combination of Saiyan and Isagi is strong enough to bring entire galaxies down, but the human mix strengthens the Saiyan. You do know that the combination of demi Saiyans and human blood is even stronger than pure saiya-jin blood, right?"  
  
"Yes, my father could have been even stronger than my grandfather, but he gave up fighting," Pan replied.  
  
"This combination is deadly. They NEED you Pan and they will do anything to get you. And THAT is exactly why I'm here. I'm here to take you under my wing, to train you in the ways of a traditional female saiya-jin warrior so when the time comes you will be able to resist the temptation. I hate to say this, but the entire fate may be hinging on the edge of your very shoulders."  
  
"Train me? What, I'm not powerful enough to fight?" Pan put her hands on her hips defiantly.  
  
Megami held up her hand.   
  
"Your fighting skills are remarkable, yes, but I'm afraid they're nowhere near enough. They not only deal with physical threat, Pan, they are talented in the art of persuasion. They know your weaknesses and they will pinpoint them. If you don't have a strong mind, you will fall under their control. They will get you eventually Pan. They need you that much. You are the only thing that stand in their way of total domination. Either you join forces with them, or you die."  
  
Pan tilted her head awkwardly. This was happening way too fast altogether.  
  
"Just one quick question Megami...if they want to get rid of me so badly, or whatever, how come they didn't KILL me when I was younger? Wouldn't it have been much easier?"  
  
"Oh yes, how they wish they could have. But you see, I'm not the only one who knows about you. Your grandfather and Vegeta knew the second you were born.  
  
Pan's head snapped up.  
  
"You mean, Vegeta knows about me?"  
  
"Right. He, along with Goku, has known since the beginning. Why do you think he is just as cautious about you as his own children? He was surprised about how strong you are, even he did not suspect it to be so quick. They have been protecting you. Vegeta was especially worried when Goku had left with you and Trunks on the quest for the black star dragonballs. They could've gotten you then, but even with Chibi Goku there, they couldn't lay a hand on you because of a curse. No pure saiya-jin may lay a hand on an Isagi-jin or vice versa, or they fight to the death. It's a longstanding rivalry Pan. Vegeta now is the only one pure saiya-jin left to protect you. And now that you've left the safety of this particular protective barrier it is only a matter of time that they could have found you. But while I'm here, they will not approach us. It comes down to this. Either you come with me or you risk the fate of the universe.  
  
*What? Me? No way, she has GOT to have the wrong person...me? Yeah, I know I'm pretty strong compared to many people, but I had no idea about any of this. Whoa, wait a minute. I DIE? This isn't funny anymore. I'm actually kinda scared. Holy shit! What if...*  
  
Megami interrupted her thoughts abruptly.  
  
"And you have every right to be scared. I know you have a lot of questions, which I will answer eventually, but for right now, you're going to need to trust me. No time to think. You must act quickly."  
  
Pan arched an eyebrow daringly.  
  
"How do I know that I can trust you? If you're indeed a saiya-jin, how come I can't feel your ki? And HOW can you read my mind?"  
  
She laughed. "I'm afraid that's a risk you're going to have to take Pan...but I promise you on my saiya-jin honor that I am not deceiving you. And the only reason you can't feel my ki is because it's too detectable and I must keep it lowered at all times. And the mind thing..well...it's a technique that is only passed on through my family. I know this sounds dramatic and sudden, but I'm not fooling you. So, will you allow me to train you?"  
  
Pan shook Megami's outstretched hand cautiously, but firmly. For the few seconds their hands touched, Pan felt a huge wave of energy wash over her.  
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
************************************************************  
  
{dream sequence}  
  
Almost everyone was there. Gohan, Goten, Videl, Vegeta, Present Trunks, Krillin, the human 18...Bulma, Bra, Marron...there were just standing there, worn, bloody, bruised. Some may have been dead. He couldn't tell.   
  
The sky was a blood red. A cold, mirthless laughter filled the air as the shadowy figure in front of him appeared within the enveloping fog that surrounded him. He was too weak to move, his eyes were halfway shut, it was too hard for him to see anything. He could barely make out a figure dressed and cloaked entirely in black silky material, raising a ball of dark energy to be directed towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the end of life as he knew it. He trembled with fear of what was to happen...he wanted to let everyone know that he loved them so much and that he'd never take them for granted again.  
  
But his fate took too long. He heard an agonizing scream that wasn't emitted from his own mouth and he opened one eye cautiously, dreading what he would see. Suddenly, a flash of orange and blue blocked his view for a spur of a second as two energy blasts were matched together, letting him escape death. A person had stepped in front of him, blocking the attack with one of their own. He tried to see the figure who had saved his life but the person had an orange face mask covering the entire head except for the eyes, which were deathly calm.  
  
The next thing he knew was the black energy against one of the purest, unfiltered white. He could see that the cloaked figure was taking all his strength into overpowering it. Inch by inch, slowly the black began to take over. The masked shape began to slowly be pushed back and hard as it tried, it couldn't stop. The winds were beginning to fight too, whipping the orange cloth off the face, revealing a complexion that was pale and framed with dark, raven black tresses. It was a girl. No, a woman.  
  
"I'm sorry..." he heard her faintly whisper. Although he couldn't see the face clearly, he thought he saw a single tear flowing down its way from her rich brown eyes to her cheek and finally off her chin.  
  
And then everything was black. It seemed for a minute all hope was lost.   
  
With a spine-curdling scream, the bright light surged through as everything around him seemed to disappear into an oblivion of white. He couldn't see anything.  
  
Then all was quiet and still.  
  
{end dream}  
  
Mirai Trunks woke up in a flash. He sat up on his bed, drenched in sweat. Panting hard.   
  
*That same dream again! I've had it every night for two weeks now!* Mirai Trunks thought, wiping his sweat on his brow. He fell on his back, laying there. *What does it mean?*  
  
He tried to fall back asleep but he couldn't. Tossing and turning, he finally decided to get up. It was still nighttime, it couldn't have been more than 4 AM. He got up anyway, throwing on his clothes. He wore a black shirt, black pants, and his Capsule Corp jacket. Taking his sword with him, he set off to his favorite training grounds, the patch of woods about ten miles or so from his house.  
  
The Androids from this timeline were gone. After destroying Androids 17 and 18, it seemed the world was healing after the aftermath of the massacre. Mirai Trunks frequently helped out by running food drives and fundraisers to help the many victims, but it seemed like it wasn't enough. There was something missing in this world, but he didn't know what. Yes, it was not like the warm and happy timeline he had visited during the Cell Games. He was sure all was well in that alternate timeline. But yet, he couldn't relax at all. It was unusually calm and he couldn't stand it. Something just wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
He flew towards the clearing and reached it in less than two minutes. He landed gracefully, and inhaled the fresh, bitter scent of pine trees. Powering up to Super Saiyan, he began to train while his thoughts began to wander. He wondered what it was like back in the past. He dearly wanted to go visit them, but he couldn't bear to leave his mother alone again, even though all danger was gone and the earth was peaceful once again...  
  
*Or is it?* he wondered, throwing a set of punches and kicks in a combination kata. His thoughts drifted to the disturbing dream. *I wonder what it's trying to say...I think it's some sort of warning, but I could be wrong. But how odd is it to have the same dream for two weeks in a row? It's more than a mere coincidence, I can feel it. The strange thing is, I can't exactly remember what happened in the dream, but when I'm actually asleep, I can see it vividly. Great, I can't concentrate when I have these thoughts in my head...maybe I should take a walk instead. Maybe that'll clear my mind.*  
  
He turned around and walked back to the house. The night air gently brushed past his silky lavendar hair as he strode through the pine grove. Mirai Trunks was always more of a thinker and he was quiet, reserved. It bothered him when he couldn't figure out something and this was bothering him more than anything.   
  
*I wonder if it's some sort of warning...maybe there is some danger out there. ARGH! This is so incredibly frustrating! I can't remember a thing...All I remember is someone saving me, although I can't remember who. It shows the face, but I've never seen that person before. And then two ki blasts are being pushed together and then everything becomes white. Still. Emptiness...*  
  
He was still tossing these ideas through his head as he approached his home. The sun was beginning to rise and when he opened the door, the smell of bacon, toast, pancakes and eggs enticed him to go the kitchen. Mirai Bulma was already up and making breakfast. (Author's Note: So what? Mirai Bulma can cook...)  
  
"Good morning Mother," he said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. He loved his mother, she was the only thing he had left and she had missed him dearly when he was gone.  
  
"Good morning Trunks, I made breakfast for you...it's your favorite, I made your eggs sunny side up!" she said cheerfully, greeting her son with a smile.   
  
Mirai Trunks sat down on the small table. It was made only for two; his mother and him. And occasionally a few guests. He started wolfing down his breakfast. His walk had made his voracious appetite even more ferocious than usual. After finished ten stacks of waffles, five plates of eggs and bacon, two bowls of hot, steamy oatmeal, he put them in the dishwasher.  
  
"Going anywhere today?" she asked. "Another food drive?"  
  
"No, mother, I think I'm going to take the day off," he replied. "Don't worry, I'll be back for lunch."  
  
He looked up at his mother who was loading the dishwasher with a small smile on her face as she glanced at him.  
  
*Yes...* he thought as he took off into the sky. *Even when she smiles, she is sad...*  
  
************************************************************  
  
"The first lesson," Megami began as she and Pan began sparring. Pan kicked Megami in the stomach but Megami dealt a square blow on her cheekbones, which threw her back into a cave crevice. Enraged, Pan staggered up and threw a whole bunch of misfired ki blasts.  
  
"...is to control your mind and heart. The first step into becoming a female warrior is to lose all your emotions. Discard them. Learn to fight without emotion. Feel no hate, no anger, no jealousy, no greed...emotions are burdens which will eventually corrupt your true power. It will cloud your mind and you will not be able to fight at your maximum potential," she finished while expertly dodging each and every ki blast.  
  
"What do you mean no emotions? You're supposed to fight with emotions! That's how you get stronger!" Pan exclaimed, stopping her attack.  
  
Megami chuckled. "Emotions bring you down and that is the simple fact. Look at Gohan for example. Sure, his emotions led him to be the very first saiya-jin to become SSJ2, but look what happened in the most crucial point of the battle! He let his emotions cause the death of your grandfather, although unintentionally, in the fight with Cell because he felt that Cell didn't deserve an easy death. He got too cocky for his own good. Vegeta could have fulfilled his rightful destiny if he had not bonded with Bulma. Rational thinking is the only way to win Pan."  
  
*She has a point,* Pan thought. *But didn't my anger at everybody make me stronger? I mean, I trained myself for four years because I was angry and frustrated.*  
  
"Your anger was only holding you back from your true power," Megami said, tossing her hair back casually.  
  
"Um, can you stop reading my thoughts? It's making me feel very uncomfortable," Pan said, shifting her foot in an embarrassed manner. "And I really don't understand what you mean Megami. I'm trying, but I don't get it. All my life I was brought up to love fighting and to love my family and my friends. How can I give that all up?"  
  
Megami paused.  
  
"Well, take Trunks for example. You love him, don't you?"  
  
Pan stopped, her eyes began filling with tears and anger. *Stupid Trunks...I've been TRYING to forget him. Please don't bring it up...* Her ki began to rise rapidly.  
  
"Just as I thought. You see, you've become weak already. You let your love for this...pathetic excuse for a saiyan get in your way. Forget him Pan. Let go of your love, let go of your hate. Love is only hate reversed. It can easily be reversed either way. Better to not have any emotions at all. Emotions are weaknesses, and nothing else. Emotions blind you. They will use your weaknesses to get to you. You must NOT let them and to do so, you must detach yourself from these worthless emotions."  
  
*I get it.* Pan nodded. "Easier said than done..."  
  
"Yes, but you will get used to it. I never said that a female saiya-jin's life was easy. It's a trial, a constant challenge. Pan, take it from me, it's best not to feel emotions, especially love... at all. I suggest you work on it a little bit. Sit down and let me get you something more...suitable...to wear."  
  
Megami looked critically at the sloppy attire Pan was wearing with a raised eyebrow. Everything from the bandanna to her baggy loose jeans.  
  
"Huh? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Pan crossed her arms. She hated being told what to do, especially when it came to clothes.  
  
"If you're going to be a true female saiya-jin, you might as well look like one," Megami replied nonchalantly, tossing Pan an orange and blue ki just like Goku's, but smaller.  
  
"Well, at least can I keep my bandanna?" she pleaded. "Pretty please?"  
  
"Why? Does it have sentimental value?" Megami asked.  
  
"No, it's just really special...please..." she faltered. Yes it did have special meaning to her. It was a scrap of cloth made from an old gi of Goku's.  
  
"That's alright then, I suppose..." Megami replied.  
  
"Have you ever loved, Megami?" Pan asked suddenly. It was a random question and took Megami by surprise.  
  
There was a slight void of silence. Megami's expression became unreadable.  
  
"No," she said finally. "It is forbidden for me to love or to feel any emotion, as it is for you now."   
  
She abruptly stood up and turned. "That will be enough for the first day of training Pan. Get some rest."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile that same afternoon where we left off in Chapter One...  
  
A spark hit Vegeta. It was like as if someone had sudden stabbed a knife in his back. With that instant, he felt the whole universe shook. The energy was pulsating through his body.  
  
"Pan's awakened..." he said aloud. He immediately sat up. He had been dreading this for a long time.   
  
Everyone's head snapped in his direction.   
  
"Pan's awakened," he repeated. He stood up and looked at Gohan. "There's something I need to tell you about Pan. She's in deep shit."  
  
Chi Chi growled. "You dense moron! What do you think we've been worried sick about for the past forty eight hours? DUH! She's out there all alone, and probably thin and starving!" She pulled out her capsulated frying pan. (Author's Note: No pun there!)  
  
Bulma eyed Chi Chi warily. "You actually carry one of those around?"  
  
"Hey, you never know when one could come in handy!" Chi Chi replied, and lifted her hand to whap Vegeta.  
  
"Mom, calm down! Maybe Vegeta can tell us something about Pan!" Gohan grabbed her wrist. Not like a frying pan could've hurt Vegeta anyway, but hey, Chi Chi isn't exactly the most rational person ne? Chi Chi squirmed in his grasp but calmed down, resigned.  
  
Vegeta took a deep breath.   
  
"You were right Bulma. I was hiding something from you and everyone else here. Kakarot and I have been shielding a secret about Pan which you had every right to know." He gestured to Gohan apologetically and proceded to give them an explanation similar to what Megami had told Pan.  
  
"Whoa..." was all Goten could manage out. "Intense..."  
  
"But if Pan's all this...powerful...then why...how?" Trunks sputtered.   
  
"They've gotten to her before I could've done anything. Kakarot and I were planning never to reveal her because it wasn't necessary as long as I was around and by that time she would be powerful enough to defend herself. It was all carefully planned but with one miscalculation...one MINOR miscalculation. And I think Trunks, Goten, Bra and Marron may know what that slight miscalculation was..." Vegeta answered.  
  
"Well, even if she's strong, can you give us some sort of indication?" Krillin was confused.  
  
"I only got a small glimpse of her power when I sparred with her two days ago. She can turn SSJ2 as easily as she can fly."  
  
Trunks, Goten, Marron and Bra nodded in affirmation.  
  
This piece of information caused Gohan to gasp.  
  
"I didn't even know she could turn Saiyan!" Gohan exclaimed. "Exactly how are they going to get Pan to do anything for them? Pan is stubborn you know..."  
  
"We, Kakarot and I, were afraid that once her power was released, her anger will be easily bent to the will of the Isagi. They're like that, the Isagi-jin. And then, we can only wait for the destruction of the universe. Majin Buu is nothing compared to this. The only way to prevent all this from happening is to hope that she won't fall under mind control, which is highly unlikely. Otherwise I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. She is vulnerable right now and she will believe any bullshit anyone tells her. She will get revenge on everyone who's hurt her under the influence of the Isagi-jin. The deepest, darkest revenge will always come from the heart."  
  
"But we're her friends and family! She wouldn't hurt us!" Marron exclaimed.  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. *Damn that blonde sure is ditzy...* he thought, exasperated. *I hope that one of these goddamn days someone will break it to her that life isn't always made of rainbows and those pathetic annoying bunnies...*  
  
An uncomfortable silence followed. Even Chi Chi couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
"So...how do we find Pan?" Bra asked finally, breaking the silence. She fiddled with her fingers nervously.  
  
"We don't. Someone's already gotten to her," Vegeta replied. "Let's just say that she won't be the same the next time you see her. It's only a matter of time now."  
  
Trunks felt helpless. Helplessness was something he hated feeling. "Isn't there anything we can do?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta shot him a dark look. "You've done enough."  
  
"Who's she with?" Gohan asked. His ki was rising. *If Pan's with any sleazeball Isagi-whatchamacallits I'll personally rip his head off and kill him and cut him bit by bit.*  
  
"I don't know. But what I do know is that all of us better start training. I've got a feeling that the peace is coming to an end and a grand war will start soon. There's no knowing when they'll strike. There's no knowing how powerful they are. This is meant to happen..." He paused.  
  
"And there's nothing we can do to change it," he finished.  
  
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Author's Note:  
  
Okay, that's the end of chapter two! I know it sounds really confusing, and it may be kinda weird when you think "Hey, when's Mirai coming into all of this? I want the romance!" and be patient please, it's gonna come soon! I hope you enjoy, please review this story! I'd love ya forever *winks* 


	3. A Release to the Darkness

Author's Note:  
  
I'm really glad all of you like this fic so far! My lovely appreciation goes out once again to Saiyan Serpent (you write such lovely reviews ^_^) and Miss Myrhe, I'm glad you love the story and don't worry, it's only gonna get better. And as for you Syaoran's Blossom, I'd have to say that I totally agree with you! And thanks to everyone else who reviewed, I really appreciate them all *hugs and kisses*  
  
Oh and for those of you who are on the edges of your seat for the next chapter I'll have you know that I'm lovely and evil and I'll keep you biting your nails till I chip mine while trying to type out this story in time before my inbox gets flooded with "GIMME MORE GIMME MORE CHAPPIES!"...and cliffhangers will be frequent ~_^ *winks* Sorry Dr. SQUEE....  
  
Now on with the story...and yeah yeah, I don't own DB/Z/GT you know that...  
  
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Revenge of the Saiyan Heart - Chapter Three  
  
Pan stared at herself in the mirror. She looked different, wearing the gi Megami had given her the other day. She had her hair tied up in a warrior's knot with loose strands hanging down, framing her pale face. Her bandanna was now tied tightly to cover up her face like a ninja warrior, revealing only her brown eyes. Yes, she was different physically. But she sure didn't feel very different.  
  
It had only been thirteen hours training in space with Megami and today she was given the rest of the day off to "think things over and train mentally*. She was glad too, everything Megami told her to do, to think, to act was totally confusing. It felt like she was recreating a new person, a new identity for herself. Not that she minded throwing away her old one. And today she was given only ten more hours to throw away her old identity and to start fresh. Megami had told her that training a weak saiya-jin was like trying to teach an old dog new tricks.   
  
*She made everything sound so easy!* Pan thought. *How can I throw away my old identity, it's the only one I've ever known! Just like that!*  
  
Megami watched Pan's facial expressions as she fought her inner struggle. She didn't even need to tap into her mind to know what was going on.   
  
"You've become too attached to your little world again," Megami sighed, kneeling down behind Pan. "What have I told you over and over again about letting go of your emotions? Leaving this identity behind to start your new life as a female saiyan warrior is no crime, it's your fate. Or do you not believe in your destiny to protect your precious universe? The more you stay into your given identity, the more attached you become to it and the harder it is to let it go. Why not release it Pan? You'll never get stronger if you keep letting it shield you from your true power!"  
  
Pan hated to disappoint her.  
  
"Yes Megami," she whispered, lowering her eyes decorously.   
  
*This is going to be so much harder than I expected...I thought Pan would be more angry and willing to change after all she's been put through on Earth. It's going to take much longer to mold her into the perfect warrior than I had expected,* she said to herself.   
  
"Let me show you how it's done, okay?" Megami asked, crossing her legs and sat across from Pan.  
  
Pan nodded and did the same to her own legs.  
  
Megami put two of her hands in front of her chest. Her eyes looked at Pan's and Pan did the same.   
  
"Do you remember when you first learned how to bring out and control your ki?"   
  
"Yes," Pan replied. It was an awfully frustrating experience.   
  
"Now here's how to release your emotions into an attack. Might as well put those bothersome heart tricks into an attack. It's a lot more powerful there, maybe even twice as strong as ki. That's how you rid yourself of emotions. It's just like releasing your ki, but instead of from your stomach, try it from...your heart." Megami instructed. "Think of someone, something, or anything that makes you feel angry, sad, hurt, or extremely emotional. Remember it clearly and replay it in your mind."  
  
"How can I even begin to choose?" Pan said sarcastically, but she saw Megami was serious. Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift back to that exact memory of mastering her ki, replaying the details in her mind.  
  
She remembered watching Goten and Trunks pestering her about how EASY it was and that it shouldn't take too long.   
  
"But then again," Goten had snickered to Trunks. "Pan is a giiiiiiirrrlll! She's not tough like us! She can't handle things the way WE can, right Trunks?"  
  
"Totally dude!" Trunks had agreed.  
  
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Pan had screamed. Her attempts at fighting back tears were useless.  
  
"Awww, is the little saiyan-wannabe crying?" Goten teased ruthlessly.  
  
Pan remembered that Trunks had laughed at her with Goten. And she remembered her anger, her hurt simmering in her, and then she felt overwhelmed by it. And that had charged her up to release her first ki blast into their hair. It wasn't as powerful as her father's, but it had singed their hair completely. And she remembered the pain, the anger, it was sinking into her...it was all she remembered. And she remembered the satisfaction it gave her, she remembered the astonished glares. Those glares, those taunts were the fuel to her inner fire. It was the fire that burned her badly. No matter how hard she tried to compress it, it always raged back.  
  
*My heart as a mind of it's own, it's beyond my control,* Pan realized. *Does that mean my heart must...die?*  
  
Not wanting to think about it, she returned to the task at hand. She felt it again as the familiar scene washed over her. She felt the frustration and most of all the discrimination. Why was she always looked down upon? It seemed she never fit in or belonged anywhere. She couldn't exactly fit in with the saiyans, for more reasons than one. She was only a fourth, she was a girl, she was so much younger, and again, she was a girl. She couldn't fit in with humans either, she had to learn that a long time ago the hard way. Her saiyan blood was more dominant over her than she could ever imagine.  
  
*I don't fit in. I'm better off alone. Now, I'm just going to have to let it go...* Pan squeezed her eyes as she felt something powerful strike her chest. Grunting, she put all that anger out...out...  
  
*Come on Pan, you can do it!* she said to herself. She opened her eyes and to her surprise, she saw a bright, pure white light glowing from her hands. It was so strong. She could feel it accelerating at an enormous rate. She began to tremble and shake.  
  
*I DON'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT!* she thought furiously.  
  
With one final pang of hurt, she felt everything around her go black as she screamed and released everything she had into the air, before passing out and falling to the ground, cold.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Marron drew a deep breath as she stood in front of the door to Trunks' office at Capsule Corp. She wasn't denying that things have changed drastically in the past few days, but in a way it was business as usual in the ever bustling CC headquarters. This greatly disturbed her. How can the world go on normally after all that had happened? One day, it was perfect, the next thing you know, Pan had disappeared and everything she did made her feel guilty.   
  
*Why did you go Pan? WHY?* she thought while unsuccessfully trying to fight back tears as she dug through her pink cotton purse for a pack of tissues. *You have no idea how much it hurts for everyone. We do care about you, we do! We all do! When are you going to come back, it's been one whole week!*  
  
She leaned against the wall next to the door, fiddling with her pigtails nervously. Her thoughts drifted to Vegeta's explanation. Pan was going to come back for revenge. Knowing Pan's personality, she wouldn't put it past her to torture them all as well. She shuddered at the thought. She knew how powerful Pan was, and if...she didn't want to think about that right now.   
  
Marron tugged lightly on her hair, a habit she had developed whenever she was nervous. Things had changed altogether too fast. Even she couldn't believe it.  
  
*I really can't believe Pan would run off like that...I'm really worried about her. What if she is going to come back and kill me?* she thought. Her face screwed up in confusion.   
  
*There I go again. I'm always thinking about myself, aren't I? I really should be more concerned with the fate of this whole universe. Maybe that's why Pan couldn't stand us. We are pretty ignorant. At least I am anyway. But still, that doesn't give her the right to run off like that. What has gotten into her? Trunks told me that Pan liked him a long time ago, before he asked me out. I guess I didn't take it too seriously. Hey, she was only twelve or so!*  
  
*I should've known judging by the expression on Pan's face when he asked me out in front of all of them. I guess I've just been trying to deny it. I mean, it is a little weird when Pan would rather prefer to spend a whole day with Goten and Trunks than with Bra and me. But then again, Pan is a tomboy, so it's not weird at all. Trunks told me everything, from when he was trying to avoid her because he loved me and that she never felt that she belonged with any of us. I guess an even number of people are better than odd. That way you always have someone to talk to. Poor Pan, she was always the odd one out because I had Bra and Goten had Trunks. I can't believe I didn't notice it before.* she thought sadly.   
  
Marron twirled a blond curl around her index finger and heaved a sigh. Her thoughts turned to Trunks. Pan always did have a little crush on him when she was younger, but rarely showed any emotion. She always had liked him, even though he did get on her nerves once in awhile. Both of them were perfect for each other despite the age gap and she wondered why Trunks picked herself instead.  
  
She hesitated as she reached for the doorknob. How was she going to tell Trunks after all they had been through? Did she really need to add to all that has already happened so dramatically?  
  
*Don't have seconds thoughts now Marron,* she scolded herself. She reached to turn the doorknob slowly.  
  
The door opened and she gasped. Trunks was standing there, the door framing his handsome figure. He was standing so close to her, his face just a few centimeters away. The expression he wore on his face was half between a smile and the other half was a hidden smirk. Marron knew it well. He gestured for her to come into the office.  
  
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, stepping inside. She hung her coat on the rack and sat down in the chair in front of his desk, facing him as he sat down.  
  
"I sensed your ki," he said simply, and then his facial expression turned as serious as hers had been. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
*What a stupid question. OF COURSE SOMETHING'S WRONG!* she wanted to scream. She shifted uncomfortably and hung her head.  
  
Trunks gently cupped his hand under her chin to raise it up. He looked straight at her. "You know more than anyone else M-chan, that you can come and talk to me about anything...does this have to do with Pan?"  
  
Oh, how she wanted to die! Marron felt herself drowning in those deep blue eyes of his, so calm, so collected. He talked about Pan as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Herself, on the other hand, couldn't even bear to think about Pan without flooding her eyes.  
  
"It's...it's..." she stammered, "It's about US." She glanced down again. She didn't want to see his expression this time. She was afraid.  
  
*Us. What the heck does she mean about that?* Trunks wondered. *She better not be cheating on me! Kuso, if she is I'm going to pulverize each and every...*  
  
Marron interrupted his thoughts.   
  
"I don't think we should be together anymore Trunks. I love you with all my heart, but it doesn't seem right," she tried to explain. "I know I'm not making any sense, and it took me a long time to realize, but I really don't think we're going to work out Trunks. I mean, with Pan and everything, don't you think we're being selfish?"  
  
"Does not seem right? Marron, baby, what the hell are you talking about?" Trunks exploded, jumping out of his seat. "I knew it had to do with Pan! Tell me what you're trying to say! That I love Pan? I don't love her the way I love you! I need you, you're my girlfriend. Please don't do this to me, tell me WHY!"  
  
Marron backed away. "Pan loves you Trunks. She always had and you know it. I can't stand between you two like this, it makes me feel so guilty to be loving you and betraying one of my best friends. You don't know what it's like to be under all that pressure and guilt. It's killing me and I can't stand it! Everytime I'm with you I feel like I'm backstabbing her. Don't you see? It's wrong to be together, especially at a time like this!"  
  
"It's not going to help Pan come back," he said stubbornly, crossing his arms. He walked over to her, and slid his arms around her waist, holding her close. "I love you Marron. I don't love Pan. You love me. I love you. Isn't that enough? Even if I die fighting, I'll be fighting for you and it's worth fighting for."  
  
She looked up at him in horror.   
  
"Don't say that..." she pleaded. "Don't say you're going to die."  
  
Trunks gazed into her eyes passionately.  
  
"Stop confusing yourself Marron. Things are not going to be the same, but that doesn't mean that we have to be apart. We need each other. Breaking up isn't going to make Pan come back, it's just going to hurt even more. You know that I want Pan back with all of us as much as everyone else does, but breaking up isn't the answer. As my father said, there's nothing we can do now. Except to wait."  
  
She listened to him and nodded her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his broad, muscular chest, his scent invading every pore of her.   
  
"Hai," she whispered softly, clinging onto him. "You're right."   
  
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"We've lost them Master," a small voice rang out. "I tried to trace that attack energy from our computer, but it was unable to track them down. They're not in this sector anymore, they're gone."  
  
"Insolent fool! I told you to keep a sharp eye on that woman! She's going to be a threat, especially now that she has the chosen one in her hands. How can they disappear so quickly?" a dark cloaked figure yelled. "But no matter...we have Jikuya Megami right where we want her. Hah, she is weaker than she thinks she is. Doesn't that poor saiya-jin slave know that she can't fight the Isagi-jin?" The figure chuckled.  
  
"Ah yes, Master. Certainly she will never be able to defeat us..." the servant agreed. "How did you get her to agree to your plans, Master?"  
  
"She is softer than the others that escaped, which is why I spared her. I'm not stupid you know. She was only a teen. And now she is under our control. And that Son Pan is with her. We have got them, but you useless moron just lost track of them!"  
  
"Yes, Master, I am sorry, but I will find them for you." The voice hesitated. "Aren't you afraid that she'll start to fight the mind block?"   
  
The black figure seemed to stiffen. "Megami may be strong, but she is not that strong. She will remain under our control...we need her to train the chosen one. But that is not important. What is important is that we can monitor their actions and when the time is right, you know what happens...Seiju, my loyal commander in charge, you will be looking forward to that, won't you?"  
  
He smirked. "Yes Master..."  
  
"And now find them!" the figure barked sharply. "The longer we wait, the more chance we'll have of losing them! I can't afford it!"  
  
"Yes, right away Master..." Seiju turned and started to leave. "I will locate them soon."  
  
"Oh, and Seiju...?"   
  
"Yes, Master?"  
  
The cloaked figure revealed a female face with a hood. "Try not to let your feelings for that slave saiyan Jikuya Megami blind you from achieving our ultimate goal..."  
  
"Excuse me, Master? I don't know what you're talking about," Seiju stuttered. He blushed slightly, but noticably.  
  
"I know your every thought, feeling, and move, my trusty commander. I should kill you for loving that woman, but because of your love, it bonds her to us. But you are not to let that destroy our plans. If you do, I will torture you both until you suffer a long...slow...and painful death. Luckily I have trained you well to let go of your emotions. You will leave her when the time comes, do you understand?"  
  
Seiju gulped. "Yes, Master..." he whispered.  
  
"Louder," she commanded.  
  
"Yes, Master," he said stiffly.  
  
"Jikuya Megami is a valuable pawn, but still a pawn nonetheless. If we don't kill her or get rid of her, that pawn may turn into a queen and we will have trouble on our hands...you wouldn't want that now, would you Seiju? Your charm may be useful in winning the heart of a woman, but is rendered useless in battle. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes," he replied.  
  
"Good. I hope you do. You may leave now."  
  
Seiju turned and walked away, his cape swirling after him.  
  
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{vision}  
  
Where am I? I'm lost. It's so cold. So empty. So dark. And yet, it is beautiful. I'm feel so light, so feathery. Is this death? I am alone. Yes, I am alone. I will always be alone. Because I am a warrior. We do not hate. We do not feel anger. Nor resentment. Nor happiness. Nor love. Because I am a warrior. I cannot be with anyone. I will only harm those I care for. Best not to care at all. That is why I'm lonely. I am a lone warrior. I have only me to depend on. No one else. This is my fate. This is my destiny, of which I cannot change. I live, not for me, but for the universe. I cannot succumb to these feelings. I cannot fear anything, I will not love anyone. Because it is forbidden. Because I am alone. It's just me.  
  
Me, myself and I. I am complete now, there is nothing left for me. My true self has been awakened, I must do my bidding. I am no longer able to go back to where I used to be. I am not who I used to be. Because now, I am a warrior. A warrior will forever be alone.  
  
I am alone.  
  
I have changed much, I can't control it, nor do I want to. I have a new place to be, a new identity to fit into. I will not be weak anymore. I will no longer be looked down upon. I will be feared, my name will spread through the universe. Power. There's a strange shadow looming over me...I can sense it. And so with this I fare thee well, my heart. You have served me well, yet proved to be so worthless in the end. But no matter, I will go on. I always had, didn't I? I'm releasing you now, so I can be free...So I guess it's goodbye. For good.   
  
{end vision}  
  
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Author's Note:   
  
So how did you like that? I'm posting more often, but I'm going to make the chapters shorter. So anyway, it's up to you. Longer chapters but longer time or shorter chapters, but shorter time? Make up your minds and tell to me when you review! I only posted this a little early so I could get started on the next chapter. I hope you're not too mad, but I love cliffhangers...Keep those reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming. Deal? 


	4. An Unexpected Transmission

Author's Note:  
  
Okay, I've had some people waiting and waiting for the romance between Pan and Mirai Trunks and all I have to say is this: THE FANFICTION DESCRIPTION SAYS ACTION/ADVENTURE as well as ROMANCE, and I don't want this fic to turn out all sappy and unoriginal and not-much-plot like, no offense, I'm not talking about any fic in particular, if you prefer those kinds of fics, that's okay, but I'm taking my time because I enjoy having a little suspense and fighting in stories too, and if you don't want to wait a couple chapters, that's fine with me if you don't want the end I promise that I'll make the wait well worth it! But I sincerely hope that you won't mind and just go along with the fic. Thanks to all my reviewers, I love y'all! *pastes a cheesy smile on her face* Okay...  
  
Since not *many* of you voted for shorter fics and shorter time or longer fics and longer time, I'm just going to see what happens, whether I'm in a good mood or a bad mood...Enjoy this chapter anyway, it gets a lot darker, more mysterious like!  
  
And blah blah...I don't own DB/Z/GT, you know the drill...  
  
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Revenge of the Saiyan Heart - Chapter Four  
  
Megami sensed his presence. She had known him for so many years, they had grown up together, comforted each other, and even...loved each other. She knew him as well as she knew the back of her own hand, or the structure of the old Isagi-jin palace where she had been enslaved with him. Yes, she was captured with him when they were only mere children. They were separated when he was roughly grouped with other savage men, trained to be royal guards to their mysterious master. She remembered how she spent her last day with him, wrapped up in chains with whip marks on her back. They held each other and she knew she would never, ever, ever see him again and that was the first night she had cried. They were so close, and now they were so far apart. That was the day when she realized that he meant more to her than just a dear friend. She loved him. And it had hit her like a sword slicing swiftly through her heart in her sleep. She loved him, even though they were just mere children. Love was a strange sort of phenomenon, something even her mother could not explain to her.   
  
She now cursed herself for her vulnerability. If it wasn't for the fact that she craved for him so passionately and hungrily she wouldn't have to be where she was now. At least she was alive, but perhaps only by a mere string. Her only strong asset to guarantee the preservation of her life was Pan now and once her training was complete, Megami knew that both of them would die eventually by the hand of her betrayer. She understood Pan's feelings completely as she too, had felt that way. She knew altogether too well the feeling of loneliness. But it was her duty. And now that Pan was with her, she endangered both their lives.   
  
*That's why a warrior must always be alone,* she said to herself. *I guess it's the price one must pay for being powerful. It's our fate, a most unchangable one. It is not in our control.*  
  
He was drawing nearer and nearer. She shuddered slightly. His ki was so cold, not like the warm energy that used to make fuzzy feelings surge into her blood. He was changed completely and she had to admit that now. He was not the Kiyoran Seiju, proud son of the advisor to King Vegeta, as he used to be. She often wondered if he still had the ability to care, to feel, or to love within him. Being brainwashed totally by the Isagi-jin at a young age of eleven was hard to break and it was hard to tap into his mind. He had been trained too well by his master.  
  
Her sensitive hearing could pick up the swish sound his long cape made, his clicking shoes that echoed through the halls in the walls in the small palace of this forsaken planet. She could hear his breathing as he stopped behind her. Oh, he was so close...  
  
"Ami-chan..." he whispered, grabbing her hand. "I've missed you..."  
  
She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of her old nickname. She wasn't going to succumb to this, she wasn't! She forced herself out of his grasp and took a few cautious steps away.  
  
"Don't Seiju...don't do this to me, leave me alone," she said, trying to free her voice from all the emotion that she wanted to pour over his head.   
  
"Why?" he asked simply. That little question made her heartbeat run faster until it pounded literally against her chest. He grabbed her behind her back and snaked his arms around her waist. Why was this killing her? She melted unwillingly into his arms.  
  
"How did you find me?" she mumbled, defeated, unconsciously sliding her hands around his neck and rested her head on his armored upperbody. After all this time he was STILL taller than her by at least six inches.  
  
"I know you too well, Ami, you can't hide from me," he replied, resting his chin on her head. This was pure bliss for him, to be holding the one he loved. But it was forbidden for the both of them, especially when there was a mission to accomplish. He had an ulterior motive.  
  
"I know what you want," Megami said calmly. Of course she knew. It was obvious. Why else would he come when it was forbidden to even see each other? He had to have been sent from his master.   
  
"Well, I guess in that case I won't have to bother asking you. Tell me where she is," he demanded.  
  
*Well, so much for that,* she thought sadly, but regained her composure.   
  
"At this rate, I don't know," she lied. "She could be anywhere, I don't have a single clue. Do you think I can control that kind of power? She is much stronger than me, even untrained, though she doesn't know it yet."  
  
"You used Instant Transmission to conceal her whereabouts, didn't you?" Seiju let go of her and stared at her coldly. His mask had slipped back on his face. It was like nothing ever happened between the two. That was habitual, more or less. His training always got the best of him.  
  
"So what if I did?" she retorted, putting her hands on her waist defensively. "What, now I can't use what power I've got left after what you and your fucking master did to me?"  
  
Something hard struck her cheek and sent chills of pain through her body. He had slapped her and now she found herself sprawling on the ground.   
  
"You will respect my master, as she is yours too," he replied coldly, staring down at her. It pained him to do this to her, but did he have any choice? He had a master to serve. He shoved these thoughts aside and focused on the girl in front of him.  
  
"She is NOT my master, she will never be," Megami said forcefully. "I'm not doing this because I want to Seiju, it's my mother's last request. I honor her."  
  
"You are a stupid fool, as is your mother. If she wasn't so foolish and stupid, she would still be here today."  
  
"You killed her Seiju. I will never be able to forgive you for that."  
  
"Forgive me already. Just think. If you join forces with me and my master, we'll have everything we'd ever hope for. We would be feared, we'd rule all of the universe, all four quadrants. All you have to do is beg for forgiveness to my master and most important of all," he paused. Then added hesitantly, "We'd be together. We wouldn't have to live like this."  
  
"I'd rather grovel to a pile of dead flies than to join with your master," she spat. "I hate her. I hate you."  
  
"No you don't Ami-chan. You love me. I know it."  
  
"No, you see, that's where you are wrong. I loved the young man you used to be. I loved Kiyoran Seiju...I do not love you. You are not him. I love my Kiyo, not the cold, angry, greedy, weak Seiju I see in front of me who will slap a woman. I will always love Kiyo," she whispered, looking straight into his icy steel-colored eyes. "Not you."  
  
The words ripped him apart as she placed two fingers on her forehead and disappeared. Her impact of her words lingered in the air even though she was already gone.   
  
"Not you..." the words echoed in the halls.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Everything was so...blurry. She groaned and tried to get up, but something in her body just wouldn't let her. She couldn't move when she tried to turn her head away. She squinted and barely made out a green figure above her. She tried to pry open her lips, which felt stiff and glued, but to no avail. She couldn't move, and as hard as she tried to force her eyes open wider, they just wouldn't. She felt so helpless, laying there.   
  
"How are you feeling?" Megami asked, leaning over Pan with a concerned expression on her face. She was kneeling down beside her with several odd-shaped chunks of crystal crushed to a powder in her hand. She mixed the fine grains with water from a small jug that hung from her neck and applied the ointment carefully on Pan's face. "Here, this might make you feel better."  
  
It felt good. It was like pouring ice water after boiling dry skin. Its soothing qualities flowed through her and she felt relieved. Pan sat up gingerly and flexed her fingers.  
  
"A lot better now, thanks. What's that stuff?" She pointed to the powder. "It works just like a senzu bean, except you don't eat it."  
  
"Oh, that's perhaps because this is one of the minerals that a senzu bean is made out of, except this is raw material. It should work a little bit faster, and it's water soluble and it dissolves into your skin. It also regenerates energy if you wear a chunk around your neck."  
  
Megami pulled a necklace with a large, roughly cut clean crystal pendant from her neck and put it around Pan's.   
  
"Use it wisely. There's not a lot of it left in the universe, it's extremely rare. It's an old saiyan recipe, my mother taught me it. Just add clean, pure or distilled water and it should work. The more purer, the better it works."  
  
Pan fingered it lightly. The huge chunk wasn't heavy at all. "Thanks a lot Megami. I really appreciate it."  
  
She just nodded and stood back up. "So, how are you REALLY feeling? Did you have any sort of...revelation? Do you remember anything at all?"  
  
"I..I don't know what happened. Everything...just went black..." Pan rubbed her head. It was throbbing. Hard. Then it hit her. She had been knocked out cold. "I don't think it was anything actually, I just...it kinda felt more like a dream, except it was all black and it was me talking."  
  
Megami nodded again, and said, "Go on."  
  
"And I don't remember exactly what I said...it just kinda blurted out, like it was me, but it wasn't ME talking. And I don't even recall what I was saying, I think something about loneliness and being a female warrior. And not allowed to love or to feel any emotions at all. It was so cold!" She shivered.  
  
"I see. Well, I suppose you do know what that means, don't you?" Megami asked.  
  
She shook her head no in response. "No, I don't understand."  
  
"It means that you are slowly letting your warrior side take over. By releasing your emotions like that, your mind will take over your heart. You let loose an extreme amount of power which was triggered by your emotions. I had to use Instant Transmission to transport you just so the Isagi-jin wouldn't find you. Did you feel that power?"  
  
"Yeah, I did...why did I black out?" she asked curiously. It still was a little numb, but she sat up.  
  
"Oh...well...that's just probably nothing, you probably weren't used to your power yet." She shot Pan a look that told her not to question the situation further. "Get up. We need to start training again, but there's maybe one little detail you need to know."  
  
"What is it?" Pan asked, getting up slowly, adjusting her bandanna and tying a warrior's knot on her hair, which was surprisingly waist-length now. She began to stretch her muscles.   
  
"We're on Earth in the Mirai timeline."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Videl searched Pan's room as she began cleaning up, but it was crystal clean already, so she just sat on the bed, looking around. She hadn't been in there for years, Pan always locked her room whenever she was in it. Heck, she even installed a set of locks in the back of the door. Although it was always easy for her and Gohan to break the doors, they always felt that Pan needed a sense of privacy, being in her teenage years. She was a good kid too, reports cards were sent home with straight A's and she wasn't the type to do drugs or smoke. So they trusted her and let her stay home alone a lot. But now she was gone...what had gone wrong?  
  
Gohan and Videl were busy, busy people, but they had always taken the time to talk with their one and only daughter. She still was, in a sense, a precious darling baby, even though she was at the age of seventeen. She wiped her tears away as she remembered that Pan was in danger, and that no one could protect her, even if they wanted to. She had truly grown up in more ways than expected. What was surprising was how Videl and Gohan could've seen her each and every day and not suspect anything. During the past four years after her adventure with her beloved grandfather, Pan had changed with anyone noticing it. It was a very, very gradual change, but for Videl to now reflect on the changes in retrospect, there was a dramatic amount. She was more quiet, always deep in thought, didn't talk too much. She stayed away from socials at Bulma's and actually never went to proms, school dances or anything. Was Pan a social outcast? Was there a side of her that no one knew? Videl never wondered about it.  
  
Videl propped up Pan's pillow. Suddenly, she noticed a small, leather-bound bookshelf hidden behind it. It wasn't there before. Curious, she took a bobby pin out from her hair and picked at the lock. It snapped open easily. A small orange diary fell out and Videl picked it up. It was Pan's diary.   
  
*Since when did Pan keep a diary?* Videl wondered. *Hmm...I know I shouldn't, but maybe there's something in here that led to why she ran away.*  
  
She flipped back a few pages till she read the most current entry:  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
You know, I think someone up there really hates me. Maybe Dende has something against me or maybe holds a grudge against me for being a stowaway on that Dragonball quest with my chibi grandpa and Trunks, but honestly, must he make my life such a living hell? I mean, here I am, Little She-man Pan Son, voted "Most Likely to Undergo Transexual Operations." Isn't that bad enough to be voted that three times in high school and it's also published in my high school yearbook, which everyone sees (hey, and I'm betting this senior year I'm going to get voted again) but then I have to deal with my social life...  
  
Or rather the lack of it. I went to the mall today, not to shop of course, you know how much I hate shopping! I went to the mall to check out the new food court that's opened...hey don't look at me like that diary, I'm a saiyan, I'm supposed to love food. Not so surprisingly Uncle Goten and Bra were there. I swear the both of them like each other A LOT, I can tell by noticing. I don't talk much anymore, I've told you about all that remember? Anyway, you know how Goten is with food. And Bra, she's trying to be all ladylike, but yeah, I totally saw her drool at the sight of the extra extra EXTRA large onion rings that Goten bought for her. (Guess what she's drooling about? Goten or the onion rings? I'll leave that for you to decide) You know that spaghetti scene with Lady and the Tramp? They relived that whole scene, except with onion rings. Ew, talk about bad breath. Why not curly fries? They work much better.  
  
But I digress. Trunks and Marron were there too. Is it just me or am I, like, invisible? They all sat at the same table, couple with couple like it was a double date. How come Bra never tells me her plans anymore? I tried to talk to her about that last time but she just went on and on about some dude named Takashi. Whatever...anyway, I was sitting across from them. I waved, but they didn't even see me. I practically had to scream. Not worth it, so I left. I took a nice, long walk...you know that secluded place way on the outskirts of town where Daddy used to train Goten? Well, I went there to train again today. Yeah, yeah, I know, I train there everyday. I think I'm getting a lot stronger though, I almost went beyond SSJ2. It's a really weird thing. I wish I could shove it in their faces that I'm just as good as the guys. I'd love to see their faces when I beat their butts to...never mind. One day, when I decide that it's the right time, I'm going to reveal myself. I don't know when just quite yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be soon. Guess I'm going to have to bide my time.  
  
You know, I really like those training grounds. What are they called? Mount Paozu or something? Anyway, every time I'm there I can feel like Goku is there with me as well. I miss him so much...once I thought of going to him, committing suicide, but then it would be selfish. And I think of Mom, think of Dad. I can't do that to them. They're all I have left, other than Chi Chi. I wish Grandpa was here though, I wouldn't have to be so lonely. At least I'll live for those who really do care about me. Unlike Goten, Bra, Marron or...Trunks.  
  
The sound of his voice makes me tremor...I've been obsessed with him for too long. I really should give up on him, he's going out with Marron. It doesn't help that Marron is one of my best friends. Well, used to be anyway...now that Goten and Bra and that Trunks and Marron and Marron and Bra and Trunks and Goten seem to fit together than I fit with them. Who am I supposed to hang out with? I have no one. I really stick out like a sore thumb. I wish I had a different personality, I think I'm way too controversial. I hate my life. Okay, I'm pathetic, I know. I chase after unreasonable goals. I like someone who is totally way over the hill. At least for me anyway. So tell me something I don't know! I wish Grandpa was here. At least I'll know that someone understands me.  
  
Lots of Love, If I have any left,  
Son Pan.  
  
Videl gasped and quickly glanced at the date of the entry. Two days before she had disappeared. Is this how Pan really felt? How come she didn't notice all this before? Pan liked Trunks?  
  
"GOHAN!!!" she yelled from inside her bedroom. "Come look at this!"  
  
Gohan rushed up to the bedroom. "What is it Videl?" he asked.  
  
She thrusted the diary in his face. Gohan put on his reading glasses and looked. He read the entry with lightning speed. When he finished, his face was stricken.  
  
"Oh Dende..." His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my Dende...Pan..."  
  
"I know! And this was happening all under our nose and I didn't notice it. We're her parents!" Videl cried, anguished.  
  
Gohan's ki rose. "I can't believe Pan likes Trunks! No wonder Trunks and Goten were acting so weird the other day, they wouldn't even look at each other. Do they know? And that Goten, how come he didn't tell me?"  
  
Videl put her arm on his shoulder to steady him. "Gohan, calm down. I'm sure they were as surprised as we are."  
  
"I'm going to kill him!"  
  
"Stop. This isn't all their fault. Look at this!" She pointed to the paragraph and read aloud, "I really stick out like a sore thumb. She wrote that! She feels out of place and can you believe what they call her in high school? No wonder!"  
  
"Vid, what are we going to do?" he said, wringing his hands. "I'm such a failure, I don't even know my own daughter anymore..."  
  
He stood up. "I'm going over to the Briefs' house right now."  
  
"Oh Gohan, don't disrupt them, they can't do anything about it either. And don't even THINK about beating up Trunks, he can't help that Pan liked him," Videl pleaded. "We have to listen to Vegeta, we have to wait till she comes back."  
  
He reread those words again. "She's depressed Videl..." he whispered, looking sadly into Videl's face, which was, if not more, equally as distressed as his own. "And we didn't even see it."  
  
She slid her hands into his. "I know...I know."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Pan gulped. "We're in the alternate timeline? Wha...What're we doing here?"  
  
"Listen, I used a technique called Instant Transmission to get us here, except that not only can it transfer you from place to place it also can travel through time. That's how we're here. The reason that we're here is, is that the Isagi-jin tracked your energy release. I didn't expect it to be so powerful, so after you were knocked out I transported us here. It's the safest place I know. Earth is now android-free, and not many people are alive, so that means no witnesses OR distractions. And the Isagi-jin won't think right away to look in the alternate timeline," Megami explained quickly. "They can't find us here, at least not for awhile."  
  
Pan looked at her warily then glanced behind her cautiously. "You sure? I don't think I want to die just yet, I'm not prepared yet. There's still so much more for me to learn. So you're positive they won't kill me?"  
  
Megami shot her a look. "Of course I'm sure. I'd bet my life on it. Now let's get training, we have lots to do."  
  
"Hai." Pan lowered into a fighting position and waiting for Megami to attack, but finally made the first move with a elegant spinning kick and flipped her hips until the other leg kicked and then spun and began punching in the part that was caught off-guard. Megami blocked them all easily with swift movements with her right arm.  
  
"Nice job Pan. Turn SSJ2 and show me what you can really do," she instructed, getting in a nice hit of her own.  
  
"Hai," Pan replied again, raising her ki until it peaked to reach SSJ2. She began to throw kicks and punches at an accelerated pace, while blocking every hit Megami threw at her. What was surprising was that Megami didn't need to even raise her ki to block her attacks and even though Pan was giving it her all, Megami wasn't even breaking a sweat. Frustrated, she began to hit wildly, catching her offguard, nearly missing a ki blast but it was brushed away using a swift movement with her right hand.   
  
*She's not even using both hands to fight! One hand and she's not even moving her legs! What the hell?* Pan thought, dodging a single-handed ki blast.   
  
"Concentrate," Megami said, "Don't distract yourself. Be alert at all times or else you will be defeated. That's all it takes, you know, one little slip-up and the battle's over and they've won." She proceeded to repeat Pan's moves and pointed out little mistakes.  
  
"See here," she commented, moving her hips just a teeny bit, "You need to adjust your torso so you don't flip off balance when you're kicking at your opponent. If you plant both legs so your gravity is in the center, you'll never to able to be knocked off because you have a stronger base. But of course, when you're sparring in the air, you won't have to worry about that. Remember, you always need to have a strong defense, if not stronger. Got that?"  
  
"Right," Pan agreed, moving her own hips and mimicking the moves slowly. She nodded her head and heard a low rumbling in her abdomen. "Guess you know what that means, huh?" she grinned.  
  
"Well, can't fight on an empty stomach, we've actually gone about two days without food..." Megami paused. "But we can't steal food, that would only draw attention to us. I guess we'd have to earn it ourselves."  
  
"Earn money for food? Don't you carry some minerals that make us eternally full or something?" Pan joked.  
  
"I do actually, but I left it at home," she replied, looking completely serious. Pan looked at her oddly. There was such a thing?   
  
"Just kidding." Megami had traces of a smile on the corners of her lips.   
  
*She has such a dry sense of humor, just like Vegeta-san,* Pan thought. "That wasn't funny."  
  
Megami just chuckled and waved her hand carelessly. "Saiyan humor," she said, winking.  
  
************************************************************  
  
(Author's Note: Time supposedly travels differently between the two alternate timelines, so it's still the same day where we left off in Mirai Trunks' time, okay?)  
  
Mirai Trunks crossed his legs and began to meditate. He couldn't get his mind off the disturbing revelation earlier that morning and figured that by meditating he could clear his mind from any anxiety. He never learned properly how to, but by watching his mother he could get a small glimpse of it.  
  
His mother meant the world to him, she was all that was left after the androids came and destroyed everything that was precious to him. He didn't know if he could go on without her in his life if she had been killed by the androids. He shuddered. Even though they were gone, he never was able to shake off that particular "what-if". And he had good reasons. His sensei and mentor, Gohan, died at their mercilessly bloody hands. He was all too glad to kill them off. That way he could avenge the death of his father and his sensei. Two of the most important people in his life.  
  
He never knew his father too well, and even going back in time was pretty depressing. He was nothing like the father Trunks had imagined. He was more like a stone with the hardest barrier. But then again, he never had much of a father figure throughout most of his life, so he didn't know what he was expecting. Perhaps someone more like Gohan? Yes, Gohan meant a lot to him, almost as much as his mother. Gohan was like a second father to him. He respected and held him in high regard. But Present Vegeta? Not exactly very Gohan-like, that was for sure.  
  
"There's more to your father than meets the eye," Bulma had said when Trunks had told her the story after his return. But she had said it with such sadness and a longing so deep, even her eyes showed it. Bulma must have been able to see the true side Vegeta hid. Trunks could sense that he was always hiding SOMETHING, but it never really showed. Only a few glimpses that were soon erased with an arrogant "humph" from Vegeta.  
  
Trunks closed his eyes. His mother must've loved his father very much, even though they had bickered mercilessly from what he saw in the past. He sighed. Of all the people he had loved so dearly, only his mother was left. What could he do to make her happy? He knew he couldn't bring Vegeta back, even if the Dragonballs still existed, of which he highly doubted.  
  
His father. He had only met him those few times, and what short times they were. He didn't know exactly what he expected of him, he had lived much of his life trying to deal with the fact that he wasn't there anymore. He died at the hands of the enemy. But it was not in vain, for Vegeta's death had been avenged.  
  
*Are you proud of me father? I know you're watching somewhere up there.* The corners of his mouth slanted just the tiniest bit upward at the thought.  
  
He thought of the past, of Cell and the long, hard-fought battle. He missed his friends terribly and wondered greatly at how they must've changed now. He wished that he could go see them again, but the time machine had been destroyed after his last journey to the past. He didn't want to, but it had to have been done. He couldn't go back and forth between the two worlds, he'd only disrupt the other.  
  
He relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath. His mind wandered towards the woman in his dream. He could never see her face quite clearly, but was always blurry and her expression was always misty-eyed. Even so, he knew she was breathtakingly beautiful, perhaps even more so than his mother. That mysterious girl...was SHE the threat to Earth?   
  
*She couldn't be. She's far too pure, I could sense it from her energy. Compared to that of the hollow dark man or woman or whoever who tried to attack me anyway, that was pure darkness,* he thought. *But that's about all I can remember. I am never able to recall the details or exactly what happens. Just flashes and sudden images.*  
  
He sighed and fell back on the grass. It was no use.  
  
Bulma watched her son as he laid there on the grass with the most excruciating expression on his usually emotionless face. She glanced away sadly. Trunks looked so much like his father it was almost difficult to bear seeing her precious Vegeta's face everytime he looked at her. He looked so much like his father, his warrior-like facade, his expressions, even his voice and the way he handled things. He was more like him that she would even admit.  
  
*Too bad you didn't see him grow up to be such a fine young man,* she thought, slightly upset.   
  
She could feel something was missing in Trunks' life, but never could ever be able to figure that one out. He needed something, something that even she could not provide for him. Trunks need something to fill that empty hole in his life. She shrugged it off she prepared twelve-decker chicken sandwiches. But then it hit her.  
  
Perhaps he needed...someone.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Author's Note:   
  
Okay, so how did you like that? I know I know, it took me a super duper long time to update, but I was extremely busy with school work, homework, projects, practice, stuff like that. I promise during this four day weekend I might get another chapter out (most likely I will!) because I just got this great new idea. No, I didn't get any writer's blocks so don't worry about little old me! Just keep those reviews coming and you got yourself a great new chapter! I promise! Review please, I want to know what you think so far! And it's going to take awhile before the romance between Mirai Trunks and Pan actually starts. Don't flame, just remember I'm going to make the wait well worth it! I know I've said that a lot, but I promise promise! 


	5. Wishing Upon Silent Stars

Author's Note:  
  
*giggles, very embarrassed* Gomen nasai! Sorry, I know I should've had another chapter out last week (actually two weeks ago, but hey, minor technicality!), but I was so busy...all of a sudden all my teachers decided to gang up against me and I had test after test after test. Any subject, you name it and I took a test on it! History, english, spanish, math, science, and P.E. even! Cut me a break jeez! Anyway, this chapter is going to be just a little bit short, I have another science test coming up this Monday! *sweatdrops* And no, people, Mirai Trunks and Pan do NOT, I repeat, will NOT exactly OFFICIALLY meet anytime soon (it all depends on what you count as OFFICIALLY)...and for those of you who are absolutely dying (heehee)...just keep on reading these author's notes from time to time and you might get hints! But pay attention to the adverbs...  
  
Disclaimer: Putting this really gives me a headache. Okay, no, I don't own DB/Z/GT. Happy now, aren't you? =P Now let's get on with the fic! It's really depressing writing disclaimers you know...  
  
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Revenge of the Saiyan Heart - Chapter Five  
  
His hands gripped the ends of his sword's handle tightly. She'd gotten away from him...again. This wasn't the first time that she had cunningly slipped away from his grasp, right when he had her where he wanted her. This was not good. His master would never let him hear the end of it, of this he was of utmost certainty. After all this training and meditation, she still had that impact on his brain, however little it seemed to be. No matter how he seemed to push it away, the more intense and demanding it pounded on his conscience. Or rather what was left of his conscience, to put it in better words. He had tried to forget her, but recent events forbade it.   
  
He pondered on what had become of their friendship...and their relationship. A few quick stolen moments, the smallest, insignificant seconds spent together now only ended up in boring more holes into their frail woven silk of friendship. It was so easy to destroy, but so hard to repair. Now what was left was a handful of stringy strands, almost pure nothingness. But he had to accept the fact, he was indeed not the same. He really wasn't the same, innocent naive boy that had trailed along his father, running errands and making mischief around the palace with his partner in crime. And he was definetely not, if anything, without a question, going to let himself be weakened by this childhood friend. The same childhood friend that simply spoke pure truth. That was a virtue...or did he consider it a fault? He was just too proud and too stubborn to take it. And for what?  
  
He knew why he had done it. It wasn't so hard to realize the only reason he could've had betrayed his entire race. He didn't really need her to point it out to him. It was scarred in his memory, etched in stone. Forever to be remembered and torturing to him.  
  
{flashback}  
  
The gust of air that rushed by was cold with an ominous silence, signaling the end of a long hard-fought battle. Bodies lay still, strewn all over and gashed with blood, dried on the fighting gis that had scraps of cloth littering the battlefield. Not one ki was fluctuating, not one body of the courageous women were moving. There was no sign of survivors, in fact, there was no sign of life, or so it seemed. Just barren wastelands composed of the now deceased saiya-jin women who fought literally to their deaths. The battlefield was as represented; a grave of honorable deaths. The master had truly trained a strong army. They had outnumbered them eight to one. They didn't stand a chance.  
  
It had been a gruesome war, although he knew that the infamously powerful and intimidating Isagi-jin armies, of which he was training to be a part of, would eventually win. But not without losses. They had lost a mass amount of warrior armies due to the stubborn king of Vegeta-sei and his troops. Now that the remaining survivors had...well, to put it bluntly, DIED, there was nothing left to do but to take over the planet. Or what actually remained of the planet. He was surprised that it was still in orbit after all that chaos.  
  
His master stepped from the shadows and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, rubbing it almost comfortably, but then dug her fingers into his shoulders blades right when he relaxed, causing him to jump.  
  
"Keep on your toes, Seiju, you never know what could happen if you let your guard down," she said in that usual sadistic bass tone of hers. His master was, in the least, a mysterious woman. He never knew her name, never knew her origins or her true power. She seemed to have no trace of detectable ki, but the aura around her was dark and empty. It was simply enchanting, in a dangerous sort of way. The darkness was an indescribable feeling, and he relished in it. It made him forget everything.   
  
"Yes, master," he addressed quietly. He hadn't quite gotten used to the concept of war, this was a first for him. He watched as the general of his master's army returned, dragging an unconscious figure behind him roughly.  
  
"A survivor, master, she is alive," he informed the cloaked woman. "Well, actually, barely."   
  
The face was heavily bruised, and a stained green and black gi was drenched in blood. Chestnut locks of hair cascaded from her back. She wasn't moving at all, but there was just the smallest, almost undetectable of ki in her body. Seiju looked at her more closely. She was familiar...  
  
"Shall I dispose of her for you master?" the general asked, eyeing the girl hungrily. No doubt what he was going to do to her. Seiju had watched as many guards took women for their own sick, twisted pleasures. And then killed them, of course. It was forbidden to have a mate. He thought this disgusting and growled inwardly, as if he was possessive of this girl.  
  
"No." His master said this sharply, eyeing Seiju the whole time. "She will be of use to us. You are not to touch her or approach in anyway. Do you understand?"  
  
The general nodded, but still glanced at the girl longingly. He and the master walked a small distance away, perhaps conferring about the plans she had in store for this girl, leaving him alone.  
  
Seiju just kept staring at her. He felt as if he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't remember. He wanted to see her face, perhaps then he would recognize her.  
  
The girl moaned and wearily flipped over to her side, her hair sweeping over her cheeks to reveal a pale complexion dirtied and soiled with cuts, bruises and rusty blood stains. The eyes fluttered for what seemed like an eternity and finally opened. Seiju gasped just a tiny bit. He knew those eyes anywhere. The purity that seemed to emit from them, the dark, jade green. Those same eyes that haunted him for so long...  
  
"Ami-chan..." he whispered, his own eyes widening. Jade eyes met hazel, and locked together. He knew that she knew who he was. They had shared a special kind of friendship, the kind that could never have been replaced.  
  
The eyes of his best friend were unforgettable. No matter how changed he was going to be, he would always remember her eyes. They had been separated from what seemed like an eternity, to him anyway, while in reality it had been almost fifteen years.   
  
"Ki...Kiyo...?" she croaked weakly. It took a great deal of effort for her to talk, he could tell. "They said you were dead...why are you here?"  
  
He said nothing, fearing her reaction. Her eyes blinked in confusion from his lack of response and darted from him, to the general, to the cloaked figure, to the battlefield, and then back to him. That single glance was all it took for her to catch up on the past long years they had spent apart.  
  
"You didn't..." she said, horrified and almost repulsed. "You're worse than dead." She tried to make her voice stronger, but she could only muster a small whine. She coughed and blood emerged from the sides of her mouth, and dripped down her chin before she passed out again.  
  
{end flashback}  
  
Those four words and that accusing stare. You're worse than dead. That's all it took to unnerve years of training and hard work for him to ascend the military rankings and missions.   
  
He tightened his hold on the sheath as he drew it out just so a small sliver of gleaming silver flashed into the starlit window, throwing a small reflection of a pale face, with hazel eyes and flecks of copper and bronze embedded.   
  
He looked back to the main computer screen. It hadn't traced her yet, and he had a feeling it would be awhile before something came up.   
  
"I will find you," he promised himself. "I'm not going to let you go that easily, especially not when you have Pan with you. You know it too, don't you?"   
  
With that, he slammed the rest of his half-way drawn sword back into its original place, making a loud scraping sound that resonated and echoed through the halls. He was going to find her, for the sake of his master, no matter what the cost. It was only a matter of time before he would find her. He was certain of that.  
  
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"Honestly, Vegeta, I still can't believe you didn't tell us about Pan. It's not that big of a secret you know. I mean, it's big, but it's something worth telling, don't you think?" Bulma scolded, snuggling in the covers next to him, yet careful enough to give him his personal space. She'd had to learn that one the hard way.  
  
"Be quiet woman! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" he barked grouchily, flipping over on his side so his back was facing her.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do!" she hissed loudly in his ear, causing some severe damage to his sensitive saiya-jin hearing.  
  
"Goddamnit! Day and night I have to listen to your ceaseless bickering, you even talk in your goddamn sleep. I am King of all Saiya-jin and you, woman, are nothing!" He glared at her. "At least let me get some peace and quiet."  
  
Bulma gave an indignant "Humph!" and then turned to her side of the bed, burying her head in the soft eiderdown pillow and settled down quietly.  
  
There perhaps was a silence that lasted exactly two seconds.  
  
"Vegeta?" she asked again, flopping herself over, roughly snatching the covers towards her.  
  
He grumbled something inaudibly under his breath while pulling his share of the covers back. Bulma took it as a good response.  
  
"You think we should go over to the Son house just to check up on them? I know Gohan and Videl aren't taking this so well, maybe we should offer them some hospitality," she chattered quickly. "Maybe we could invite them for dinner again sometime or something. What do you think Vegeta?"  
  
He said nothing, but that was okay. Bulma was used to their one-sided conversations.   
  
She sighed at his lack of attention.   
  
*It's like talking to a brick wall,* she thought. *Hopeless. You just can't communicate with him unless you grow spiky black hair and inherit Goku's looks. Then perhaps I'll commune with his fist.*  
  
"I heard that," Vegeta mumbled roughly, turning so he could face Bulma. She had evidently forgotten about their mental link formed from their bond.  
  
"Well, you can't deny it," she replied airily. It was the truth.   
  
"Shut up woman. I'll have you know that I'm the..." he started, but was interrupted by Bulma.  
  
"I know, I know, you're the King of Saiyans blah blah!" she exclaimed softly, exasperated. "I hear that only fifteen million times a day! And why can't you call me Bulma? My name is not woman, it's Bulma! We've been together for a long time now, at least get my name right. Gosh."  
  
"Woman, it doesn't matter!" he retorted, then fell promptly asleep. "I'll call you whatever I want to, because I'm the..."  
  
But he was interrupted again when he felt her ki drop, a sign that she was asleep.   
  
*Finally!* he thought exasperated, closing his eyes so he could relish whatever seconds of peace he had before "the woman" started to sleeptalk. Her record had consistently been ten seconds.   
  
*Eight...Nine...Ten...* he counted down. And like clockwork, Bulma began gesture in her sleep, incidentally whacking Vegeta on the nose as she reached out her arm as if pointing to a graph of market statistics.  
  
"And the Capsule Corporation has experienced immense growth in the market right now, averaging about ten percent higher then analyst precedented earnings. The stock has tripled twice in the last quarter, surely it has been a good investment. Gentlemen, I now present to you Capsule Corp's latest product..."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Goten was silent as he sparred with Trunks at the Capsule Corp's gravity room. They both intended to prepare themselves for the sure chance of a battle and they weren't about to be defeated easily without putting up a fight. But each of their minds was elsewhere. Any ordinary person would not have been able to tell there was a difference in their sparring today, but Vegeta could. To his trained eye, their punches and kicks were nothing more but mere child's play. Neither wanted to show the other their obvious lack of practice. And there was still some tension between the two, and neither Goten nor Trunks wanted to go all out on this one, just to be safe to insure their lives in case they destroyed his precious gravity room.  
  
*Weak. My own son is as weak as Kakarot's brat. What a pathetic man that damn woman made him into. Look at him.* Vegeta scoffed to himself.   
  
Trunks had been turned awfully soft and out of shape due to the fact that for the past years of his life being corralled in that office of his for such a long time by his own mother, Bulma. Goten had managed to squeeze a little bit here and there between his dates. Vegeta sighed in disgust at the two while he observed their spar for just a little while longer and then left, leaving the gravity room quieter and more ominous than ever.  
  
Trunks, however, was the first to break the silence.   
  
"You still mad at me Goten?" he asked while dodging a punch from the side of his head, knowing perfectly well what the answer would be.  
  
Goten didn't say anything at first but then said quietly, "She was my niece, Trunks. And not to mention one of your truest friends. How could you do this to her?"   
  
Trunks stopped abruptly and so did Goten. The two locked eyes for a moment and acknowledged each other with blank, emotionless stares.  
  
"I love Marron. You should learn to accept that," replied Trunks. "You know this love business. Someone always gets hurt and it's Pan this time around. I don't mean to sound inconsiderate, but she kind of needs to get over it, you know? I mean, admit it, it sounds weird. And she's only seventeen, she doesn't know what love is."  
  
"I know you and Marron like each other. And for the sake of your happiness for you two, she gave up her own. I think you're blind to what she's probably going through you know," Goten pointed out.  
  
"But she needs to understand that I don't like her like that, and I was so surprised then right when she told me that I didn't know what to say, so I said what first popped into my head right at that moment. I really didn't mean to hurt her feelings," Trunks responded while wiping his sweat with a large towel.  
  
"I know you didn't. You didn't intend to, but you did. You're my best friend Trunks, I know you wouldn't do it on purpose. But think of Pan. For once I wish all of us would just think of someone else instead of themselves once in awhile," said Goten, doing the same with his own towel.  
  
Trunks said nothing then said finally, "I'm really sorry Goten."  
  
"I forgive you because you're my best friend. But really. You should be saying that to Pan, not me. You're just lucky Gohan hasn't come for your blood yet," Goten replied.  
  
His head snapped up. "Gohan?"  
  
"Yeah. He knows. He read Pan's diary."  
  
"Oh. But I'm sure Gohan would understand right? I mean, I can't really help it and I know that he wouldn't approve of Pan's crush, with being eleven years or something apart," Trunks added, more to reassure himself than to defend himself.   
  
"I guess. Besides, you and Marron are five years apart, so you can't say that age is the definite problem here," Goten continued. "Besides, age difference isn't relevant in love."  
  
"Yeah, but the media sure makes a hell of a racket out of it," Trunks said. "Imagine what they would do if Marron was Pan's age. Or Bra's age. She's one year older than Pan. Think of what scandals the tabloids might make out of it!"  
  
"If I were you, and I really loved a girl Pan's age, I wouldn't give a damn about some fucking media tabloid paper crap."  
  
At that moment, Bra's head popped into the doorway of the gravity chamber.  
  
"You guys, it's time for lunch. We're going to buy some takeout, I think, because I just heard Daddy complaining and Mom yelling again," Bra reported. Her eyes were slightly red, evidently from crying, even when covered up by endling chunks of cream and powder applied on.  
  
As they left and entered into the hallway, Trunks turned around and asked Bra, "Do you believe age makes a difference in love?"   
  
Bra hesitated slightly and glanced at Goten, then blushed a bit and said quickly, "No, I don't. Um...I gotta go to my room and get ready for my date with Takashi." She left the boys in a hurry.  
  
"What was that all about?" Trunks asked, eyeing Goten carefully. He suspected something was up.  
  
Goten stared after Bra, then suddenly looked down when he realized Trunks was watching him closely, his eyes darting between the two, and walked towards the kitchen. "I don't know," he replied sullenly.  
  
"I didn't know you liked my sister," he teased, punching Goten lightly on the shoulder.   
  
"I don't. At least not like that," he protested, punching Trunks back, throwing him back a few steps.  
  
"Oh really?" Trunks smirked. "Then explain why you're jealous."  
  
"I'm not jealous, you stupid ass!" Goten retorted, then stormed down the hall purely by following his stomach's instincts. Rather angrily, or so Trunks thought.   
  
But Trunks knew what was going on. He had a knack for these sorts of guessing games, he could always tell if a girl liked him or not, even during elementary school. He could easily tell by the way Bra was blushing madly and how embarrassed she sounded when she mentioned Takashi. And he knew his sister quite well. And he could also tell from the slight hint of jealousy in Goten's voice and the way his ki rose ever so slightly at the mention of Bra going on a date. And he knew Goten quite well.  
  
His stomach decided to protest and jump in, interrupting his thoughts right then and there, creating a little earthquake that shook the room. Chuckling and scolding himself for not discovering about the situation sooner, he followed Goten into the dining room.  
  
"My best friend and my sister," he whispered softly to himself. Then he added thoughtfully, "Hm. Nah...Dad would probably kill him right then and there. Better not to say anything at all. I'll give Marron a call later, maybe she can set them up and get rid of that Takashi. He's an ass anyway."  
  
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She stretched out her index finger and lifted it up towards the sky, letting it weave and bounce as it traced a familiar path between the stars that, even though she was older now, still held that magical quality to them. Her breath made little puffs of steam that curled around in the nighttime air. Up, down, she traced through the stars, reminding her of her grandfather and that trip in space. She let her hand guide her from the stars of the constellations she and Goku had spents hours naming. She traced them like she was playing connect the dots.  
  
"Hah, there's Grandma Chi Chi's frying pan constellation," she giggled quietly as she traced the Big Dipper.   
  
She sighed. She knew she couldn't be holding on to those memories anymore, she knew she couldn't hold on to her past entity, but she couldn't help herself from subconsciously drifting back between what seemed to be two alternate worlds for her. The person she was, and now the one she was expected to be. She didn't ask to be "the one" that some stupid Isagi-jin wanted to rule some universe or whatever. No, she wanted to be NORMAL. But she wasn't. She never was. She could never be. Her heritage and her bloodline wouldn't allow it. She was cursed.   
  
*I can't control what I am. I will never be able to be perfectly human, to be accepted for who I am at school,* she thought bitterly, remembering her date the afternoon she had first encountered her chibi grandfather. He wasn't the first human to ever be frightened at her strength. No, he was just one of the many scared humans, who were always constantly but unknowingly ripping Pan's pride and pummeling her on her neverending quest to be accepted. It seemed to her that no matter where she was, she could never fit in totally.  
  
*Look at me,* she thought. *I can't fit in with humans, but that doesn't mean I can't fit with the saiyans right? Wrong! I have to work a million times harder to be accepted. And I've broken the barrier. But what good does it do me? Look at Bra. She's about as human as Marron. Typical girl, popular, Miss Perfect-Always-Getting-Her-Way, fashion obsessed, boy crazy...she doesn't give a damn about fighting. And she's half saiyan! Vegeta's daughter! Don't they expect anything from her? At least to throw a decent punch? No. They don't take her seriously as a warrior, but they treat her nicely. Me? No, I was just a saiyan wannabe. They never said it, but I could feel it. I know they expected me to be just like Bra, but I wasn't. I can't be, and I never met their expectations.*  
  
A lone tear made ways from her eyes down to the middle of her cheek. She fingered the ki bracelet on her left wrist. Megami had instructed her to wear it at all times to prevent from being detected.  
  
*And so what does that make me?* she pondered. *Who am I? Sadly, I have to say I'm just nothing that I want to be. I'm really just molded by what everyone wants me to be, but my goddamn saiyan blood won't allow me to be coerced into being someone I'm not. But who am I? I'm just plain old Son Pan, daughter of Son Videl and Son Gohan, granddaughter to the "great" Hercule and the best man ever to live, Son Goku...yes. But what am I inside? I'm not saiyan enough to be saiyan, if you know what I mean because I'm only a quarter. But also at the same time, I'm too saiyan to be human. I act too much like a boy to be treated like a girl...and yet, I'm too much of a girl physically to be treated like a boy does. And where does that leave me?*  
  
She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if to release her inner turmoil. There was a tension between her and her heart and it was one barrier she could not break, even if it willed her.  
  
*At least maybe I'm needed here. Megami and I are becoming quite close. At least she takes me seriously, in some ways. She's like the teacher I never had, she understands me, she truly does. She knows how difficult it is to be female, to be thought of as weak. But she's stronger than my own father and I'm willing to bet that she might even be a match for Vegeta-san. The only problem with her is that she's keeping a lot of things from me and I don't like that. I know I can't trust her completely, but what am I to do? I can't sense her ki, but I know she's strong. Call it warrior's intuition or something, but she holds this strange power over me. There's something about her, I can see it in her eyes. She knows everything, and yet she never tells the complete truth.*  
  
She glanced up at the sky longingly, stretching so her arms were behind her head.   
  
"If only I could stay somewhere, far from here, where I could feel loved for who I am, regardless of anything. I must belong some place out there," she whispered softly to herself. "Right?"  
  
She paused as if waiting for an answer from the twinkling lights above. But the stars were silent and the only one to hear her plea was the gentle hush of wind that blew past her.  
  
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to be continued...  
  
Author's Note:   
  
I had to add that part with Vegeta and Bulma, I'm sorry! ^_^ They're such a funny couple, it's hilarious. Yeah, that's just an example of my lame shot at humor. Besides, this chapter should be a good treat to all you Goten and Bra fans! Yay! I told you the romance was worth waiting for, even though it's just a slim development so far. And I should note, the romance is somewhat in the background, but it's noticeable. Like I said, just remember the littlest details in this story and you'll probably figure out what comes up next. Okay, I know that chapter took a little long... *hears her friends yell "What do you mean, a LITTLE long?!?"* Well, anyway I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you review and tell me what you think. You don't know it, but your reviews kind of influence how the story goes (the storyline, not whether or not I continue it). Why? How? Just review!   
  
Like this one person, I forgot who, decided "Hey! Goten and Bra are the best couple!" and I say, "Okay, sure!" and so here you are, with a snippet of romance...I'm new at this fanfic writing business though, give me some feedback! Thank you very much, I love you all! ^_^ Ciao! 


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